Path of Honor: The Unending War
by PrimedBlade141
Summary: What is a monster and what is it that makes one a human? Amidst a chaotic war ravaging the Origin system, two lost warriors somehow manage find comfort in each other as they fight on for a better future. But as the tides of war are about to take a turn for the worst, will their struggle even matter? Perhaps what is inevitable can never be stopped. Warframe AU.
1. Prologue: Awakening

**Path of Honor**

 **I do not own Waframe. It is owned by Digital Extremes. Nor do I own any references made in this story.**

 **Hello readers, I am PrimedBlade141 and I have been playing Warframe since Update 17: Echoes of the Sentient in 2015. I had the idea for a Warframe fanfic for quite some time but couldn't manage the time to write one due to study pressure for some time and the fact that Warframe has changed a lot over the years. Since I got some time now, I decided to finally start writing and here is my story. Please note that this story will be a bit AU later on. Anyway, please enjoy.**

* * *

 **Prolouge: Awakening.**

Utter chaos.

These two words would be the best used to describe the war-torn state of the Origin system right now.

The Grineer empire were sweeping through the system like a wildfire, ravaging anything in its path. Under the command of the Twin Queens, the vast army of cloned soldiers spread far across the system for a single purpose: To create an everlasting empire in the image of the queens. Numerous colonies across the system fell to the vast horde of Grineer soldiers.

The twisted cloned army was made to be loyal and ruthless. They brutally murder all those that stand in their way of creating their so called glorious empire. To the queens they would be the perfect slaves, if it wasn't for their decaying nature. As they were made in factories like tools, they were born with flaws that included a much shorter lifespan and degenerative disorders which included lower intelligence and decaying flesh. But still they were monsters on the battlefield. Being equipped with cybernetic prosthetics to compensate their flaws while augmenting their combat prowess, the Grineer would charge head first into the battle to wreak havoc while equipped with heavy armor and crude but still lethal archaic weaponry.

On another side was the technologically advanced Corpus. They were a cult of greedy merchants who worshipped Profit, quite literally and have been living on scavenging on the remains of the Old War. While they did not have the vast cloned manpower the Grineer possessed, they compensated for it with their technology and robotics. They had a massive amount of automated combat proxies at their disposal to deal with any threat to their schemes. Their energy shielding technology allowed even the lowest ranking crewman to have decent enough protection from enemy fire. Those captured are either treated as salvage or is sold to the highest bidder.

And then there was the infestation. During the old war, when their technology failed against the sentients, the Orokin empire tried to create a new bio weapon to combat the sentient threat. This however, went out of their control and caused the Great Plague. The afflicted become twisted creatures whose sole purpose is to consume all those who are not infested. Despite their violent and mindless nature, these twisted beings show some form of coordination when they swarm colonies and ships alike to consume, indicating that there may truly be in fact a hive mind that directs these abominations. Many colonies and lives have already been lost in the hands of the infestation. The more fall at their hands, the more of these monsters rise.

But there was a small ray of hope for the people of the Origin system. From the ashes of the old war, rose another faction. They called themselves the Tenno. They were warriors. Masters of the gun and blade. Wielders of the warframe armor.

Guided by the mysterious being known only as "The Lotus." The Tenno fight on against the grineer, Corpus and Infested alike. Their discipline, mastery of both gun and blade and the devastating power they wield thanks to their ability to channel the normally harmful void energy through their Warframes, they were a force to be reckoned with.

While one might see the Tenno as noble and honorable warriors rising up to protect the weak and oppressed, others might see them as powerful opportunist mercenaries abusing their power for their own agenda, whatever that might be.

Either way, any hope the system has for peace lies in the hands of the Tenno….

 **Somewhere on Europa.**

The frigid surface of Europa, a moon of the planet Jupiter is all but a large crash site of the war raging in the Origin system. The frozen landscape is littered with remains of Corpus vessels that have become victims of the Grineer fleet.

Despite the subzero temperatures, the Corpus crew work on to salvage any of their lost assets. Aided by heat generators and state of the art drilling equipment, they carry out their salvage operations in order to restore any and all salvageable items until financial losses are recouped.

However, there was something else on Europa. Deep below the frigid surface was the remains of a large vessel that was unlike anything the Corpus fielded. It was not a Grineer design either. Grineer ships tend to be large and crudely shaped. The porcelain white walls and gold decorations meant only one thing: The vessel was of Orokin origin.

The Corpus stumbled upon this ancient vessel when they were drilling the surface whilst were carrying out a routine salvage operation. It was unclear when exactly this vessel crash landed here but it was probably a long time ago as it was so deep under the ice that they couldn't detect it despite all the scans they made on the surface of Europa. If they had to guess, it was as early as the old war or even before.

They were delighted by this discovery. Hidden under their box like helmets, their greedy eyes were illuminated by the visions of profit as Orokin technology was highly valued by the Corpus and Grineer alike.

This is because the Corpus in particular had a deep interest in the advanced technology belonging to the now fallen Orokin empire. Orokin technology was so highly advanced that even the best examples of cutting edge Corpus technology couldn't come close to their Orokin counterparts. Be it weaponry or medical equipment, the Corpus were miles away from reaching such quality that the Orokin possessed.

And so, the Corpus put a high emphasis on acquiring Orokin technology for study so that they could utilize the knowledge gained to make their own versions of it. Anything they can find from the Orokin vessel was sure to bring them profit.

The greedy cult had already moved a sizeable number of crewmen for the salvage operation to the crash site, along with necessary equipment. They also assigned a large security detail to secure the crash site and defend it if necessary. Weaponized bipedal proxies known as MOA's guarded the area along with combat trained crewmen and corpus techs. All of them were equipped with state of the art plasma weaponry and energy shielding technology that was standard issue to them. Small twin rotor unmanned aerial units known as Ospreys looked for any signs of anomalies and were ready to act if any hostilities begin, be it using their on-board weapons or by providing energy shielding support to nearby Corpus units. They also moved large air defense laser cannons to deal with any threat coming from the air.

As the Corpus crewman worked on under tight security, a Corpus dropship approached the Crash site. It lowered itself down and slowly landed on a clearing beside the Crash site. A small group of armed crewmen led by a Corpus tech, identified by his red suit and orange glowing visor came to the dropship to _greet_ the guests as some serious looking armed Corpus disembarked from the vessel.

"Who the hell are you? This is a restricted area. You are not allowed in here without proper authorization." The tech stated. He had his Supra aimed at the guests and appeared to be alerted by their presence.

One of the intruders that appeared to be the leader stepped forward. Or rather _hovered_ forward due to the special hover boots he was wearing. His suit appeared to be blue colored with some white lines. His helmet is what set him apart from regular Corpus crewmen. His helmet was taller than what most crewmen wore and was cylindrical with text in Corpus language inscribed on it. This indicated that he was a Fog Scrambus unit, a specialized combat unit with an electronic warfare suite installed in his helmet. On his back he carried a large gun that could be identified as the Opticor, a high power directed energy weapon of Corpus design which strangely was not issued to such units meaning that he had a high rank, if not made obvious by the holographic shoulder guards he wore, which projected a blue rectangular hologram with a round insignia at the center. He was flanked by two others similar to him but had different helmets and no hover shoes. One of them had a helmet that had a box like protrusion from the upper part and his face was exposed. He wore a blue visor and carried an Arca plasmor, a weapon that look liked and worked similar to a pump action shotgun but fired a wave of radioactive energy. The other one had a tall boxy helmet with a single vertical light strip in the middle and had two large circular objects attached to his wrists, which could be identified as a tactical energy shield emitter that could also be used to deliver electric shocks to targets during hand to hand combat. Both of them were Combas, a unit similar in role to the scrambus but were not issued hover boots.

The leader took out a small square device and pressed a button on it. It projected a holographic screen and a face appeared. This man wore a blue metallic robe and had a strange blue disc like object on his neck. He wore a black headgear and his face had black markings. This was none other than the infamous Alad V, the director of Corpus operations of Jupiter and the Head of Grineer relations. He was also a prominent member of the Corpus board of Directors but he lost his position to Frohd Bek after the Tenno sabotaged his _Zanuka project_ by raiding his ships where he experimented on captured Warframes. However, despite the setback and removal of funding from the board, he still continued his project with his own funding.

"My my. You people found an Orokin vessel so close to my base of operations and decided to not inform me. How insolent. You thought such news would not reach my ears? My informants have already informed me that this vessel has the possibility to have Tenno cryopods. And you know how much I need the Tenno for my precious Zanuka project." Alad said with disappointment in his tone.

"This operation was authorized by Frohd Bek. He is the one who ordered us to keep quiet about this operation." The tech informed.

"Bek? That old man only thinks about money and never had high ambitions. It's better that I acquire whatever artefacts this vessel has instead of that short sighted lousy buffoon who can't keep his mouth shut. So, listen up trash face. I'm taking charge of operations here!" Alad exclaimed. The tech however seemed amused.

"You? You have no authority over Chairman Bek and the board. You still have your position despite all your previous failures because the board seems to have some use for a useless pile of dirt like you. Why don't you work on your own little crappy science project instead of poking your nose into matters of the Chairman _Shit Salad_!" The tech retorted. Alad seemed startled by the tech insulting him but remained calm.

"Oh, my goodness. A lowly puppet tries to defy the orders of his superior. How…disgusting." Alad calmly said.

"Oh yeah, Chairman Bek is superior to you and once I report YOUR insolence to the Chairman and the board, you better be ready to face the music!" The tech exclaimed.

"Oh, but this territory does not belong to Bek. This is my turf and you have to play by my rules. Ren, how about you make an example of our little friend here." Alad ordered.

The leader, now known as Ren, quickly whipped out his lecta, a Corpus whip-taser hybrid weapon, and disarmed the tech before he could do anything. The helpless tech was shocked when he saw that the other crewmen that came with him did not do anything and stood still, indicating that they did not have the nerve to go against Alad V. So, he made a run for it. Perhaps he could inform Frohd about Alad V and maybe get him punished for his interference.

But he couldn't go much further as Ren acted quickly, swinging his lecta and ensnaring him by the neck. The weapon delivered a high voltage electric shock as the tech grabbed the whip with both hands struggled in vain to get free. But his movements slowed down gradually until he hit the icy ground, dead.

"This better be a lesson to all those who wish to defy me. If you obey my commands, I promise you will get paid well for it. If not…then I assure you won't leave this place alive." Alad stated coldly. The other crewmen were shaken up by the brutal execution of the tech and nodded, agreeing to the demands of the elite Corpus.

"Good. Then let's see what we can find here. If you find any sleeping Tenno, bring it to me so I can make proper use of them for my Zanuka project." That was all Alad said before his face disappeared from the screen.

Now escorted by the crewmen, the Alad's team entered the wreckage of the Orokin ship. Inside, it was just as grand looking as it appeared from the outside. It had clean, porcelain white walls and hallways and doors were adorned with gold. The crewmen informed the party that this ship seemed to be some sort of research ship for the Orokin empire. So far, they have scouted most of the ship and found some weapons and other things, including a smaller liset landing craft that was typically used by Tenno for quick infiltration and exfiltration. They said they took it outside and salvaged most of the systems that they thought were in working condition and left the thing intact. But they were yet to gain access to the inner chambers as they couldn't bypass the large security door and are probably going to have to resort to using explosives.

Soon, they reached the said door. It was a large, circular door. Made purely out of gold or perhaps a substance that looked like a door. There was some large machinery near the door, which appeared to be some sort of large laser cutter. And from the black markings on the door, it appeared that it was of no use.

"All right, set charges on that door. Looks like we have to blast our way in." Ren ordered. Some of the crewmen came forward with explosive charges and placed them on the door. They began arming them and soon a beeping was heard, indicating that the charges were armed.

"Clear!" A crewman cried as they cleared the door. The beeping continued. It became more frequent and suddenly, it exploded with a loud noise, covering the spot with smoke.

They waited for the smoke to clear, hoping that all their efforts would not go in vain. Soon enough, the smoke cleared and they were met with success as there was now a large hole in the door, large enough for them to move men and machinery in.

"Let's move in and look for anything of value." Ren ordered. Alad's team, along with a small group of crewmen and some proxies entered the inner chambers of the ship and began searching. At first, they found just some basic things typically found in Orokin vessels. Then they found some rooms that had…dead bodies.

The victims appeared to be young, aged between ten to sixteen. From the looks of it, they were experimented upon as most were restrained. Some of them had wires and other devices attached to them while some were dissected. There were few that looked like something burnt them and were beyond recognition. There was one empty room that had a large glass window that let outsiders see inside. The room was littered with pieces of broken equipment and had some burn marks. Most importantly, there was blood. There were some bloodstains on the floor. It appeared that something was experimented upon here.

The Corpus neither felt shaken, nor did they feel any sympathy for the poor souls that probably died a cruel and agonizing death. For starters they were not unfamiliar with war and bloodshed. And they too often experimented with live test subjects, usually captured colonists and Grineer.

Soon, they reached a large circular room. The center was empty sides were lined up with some large silver pods with glass viewing ports.

Ren smirked. This was exactly what they were looking for. These were no ordinary pods. These pods were used to contain Tenno. Wasting no time, Ren took out his communications device and called Alad V.

"Sir, looks like we found some warframe cryopods. Orders?" He showed his superior their discovery. The high-ranking Corpus seemed to be highly delighted.

"Good. Now look for any warframes you can find." Alad ordered.

"You heard the man. Move your asses and start searching!" Ren ordered his subordinates. The crewmen scrambled and began checking the cryopods.

One of the crewmen approached a cryopod and looked inside it through the large glass surface on top. But much to his dismay, it was empty.

"It's empty. There is nothing inside this one." The crewman informed.

"This one is empty." Another crewman reported.

"This one is empty as well." Reported another.

They kept checking but all they found were empty cryopods. Until one of the crewmen looked inside a single cryopod at the far end of the room.

"I've found one!" He exclaimed. "It looks like an _Excalibur_."

Ren and the others rushed to the cryopod. He shoved the crewman who found it out of his way and looked inside.

Inside the cryopod was a sleek humanoid figure. It was mostly white in color but with some grey bits and red linings. The helmet lacked any resemblance of a normal face. It had no eyes even, making one wonder how a Tenno saw the outside world. There was a single short horn like protrusion on the helmet.

"Sir, we found one. An _Excalibur_ type it seems." Ren Informed Alad V. He seemed really pleased with the good news.

"Excellent. Bring it to me and I will make sure all of you will be rewarded for your efforts." The Corpus elite stated over the comms. "But until you deliver it to me, be careful about it waking up somehow or other Tenno coming to its rescue. I am tired of losing warframes for my project." He added.

"Yes sir. I will make sure you receive this warframe in Jupiter. You can count on us." Ren said. He put his communications device back and instructed the crewmen to begin preparations to move the cryopod on board his ship while he secures the landing site. He and one of the Comba that came with him left, leaving a handful of crewmen and the Arca Plasmor armed Comba with their prize.

As they began preparations, they failed to notice one thing. This particular Excalibur had something different. While he mostly appeared the same as a usual Warframe of its category, his shoulders had an unusual marking that was never seen on any others. It looked like an eye that was ready to be pierced by multiple swords surrounding it.

 **Inside the Warframe.**

Everything was pitch black. He saw nothing but complete darkness and heard nothing. Then, something began to flicker amidst the darkness and soon some text became visible to him more clearly.

 _INITIATING SYSTEM DIAGNOSTICS._

 _WARFRAME INTEGRITY: INTACT._

 _INTERNAL SYSTEMS: INTACT._

 _EMERGENCY SYSTEMS: FUNCTIONAL._

 _NEURAL SYSTEMS: FUNCTIONAL._

 _SHIELD GENERATORS: FUNTIONAL._

 _ENERGY STATUS: EIGHTY PERCENT._

 _TRANSFERRANCE STATUS: SYNCHRONIZED._

 _NEURO OPTIC STATUS: DEACTIVATED, FUNCTIONAL._

 _SENSORS STATUS: DEACTIVATED, FUNCTIONAL._

 _COMMUNICATIONS STATUS: DEACTIVATED, FUNCTIONAL._

 _HUD STATUS: DEACTIVATED, FUNCTIONAL_

 _EMERGENCY LOCKING PROTOCOLS: ACTIVE._

 _SYSTEM DIAGNOSTIC COMPLETE. REBOOTING SYSTEMS._

 _RESTORING HUD FUNCTIONALITY._

His HUD (Heads Up Display) flickered for a few seconds before activating. It showed his warframes' shield and integrity status on top left and energy status on bottom right along with some other icons. A small minimap appeared on his top left corner. He wondered why the damn HUD was rebooting before other sensory systems that let him to actually see and hear everything around him. It made him question the intellectual abilities of the one who programmed it to work this way.

 _HUD FUNCTIONALITY RESTORED._

 _ACTIVATING ALL SENSORY SYSTEMS._

 _ACTIVATING NEURO OPTIC VISUAL SYSTEMS._

He was momentarily blinded by the bright light but soon he recovered and started to see his surroundings.

He was inside some sort of pod. But through the glass, he could also see the outside of the pod he was in. It appeared to be in a large circular room with other pods lined along the outer rim. The walls were white with gold decorations.

He also observed that he was not alone. There were some men in that room. They were all armed and wore strange helmets that somewhat reminded him of those that workers wore when wielding. He tried to move but couldn't feel much of a response. He couldn't feel his body as though he was paralyzed. All he could do was observe.

 _ACTIVATING COMMUNICATIONS SYSTEMS._

In an instant, a smaller screen appeared to his left. On that screen, he saw the face of a woman. She was clad in blue and most of her face was covered by a strange helmet.

"Tenno, you are awake. I am the Lotus, your guide. But we must get you out of here. The Corpus have found you and they want your warframe. We cannot let that happen. Get ready to act as soon as you gain control." She stated.

" _Copy that." The Tenno muttered. From his voice, it appeared he was a male and was not aged much. At best it could be estimated that he was not above twenty or so._

 _DEACTIVATING EMERGENCY LOCKING PROTOCOLS._

 _SYSTEMS REBOOT COMPLETE._

He then felt the rest of his body as he slowly moved his fingers, then his limbs. He was ready to go.

"Force your way out of the cryopod."

A corpus crewman was idly standing in front of the cryopod, oblivious to the fact that the Tenno had awakened already. As he looked at the cryopod and he felt that he saw something inside it move. So, he went close to the pod and tried to take a look inside.

In an instant, the Excalibur punched its way out of the cryopod, his fist shattering the glass and metal and grabbed the crewman by the neck, choking him. He struggled but was no match for the sheer strength the Tenno possessed and passed out. The Corpus in the room were instantly alerted.

Two nearby crewmen aimed their flux rifle at him. The Tenno simply threw the crewman he was holding, knocking both of them out. More crewmen converged towards him, weapons ready to fire.

"Quick. Use your power. Defend yourself." The Lotus commanded. The Tenno channeled his void energy to his right hand, summoning a golden blade of energy. In the blink of an eye, he charged forward at his opponents at a burst of great speed, being propelled by his void energy. He instantly cut one down then moved to the next, cutting him down as well. The energy blade in his hand disappeared as the others began to fire their weapons at him in panic due to seeing their comrades brutally killed in front of their eyes.

But the Tenno was quick on his feet. He rolled to avoid the burst of fire from their plasma weaponry coming at him. Most of the shots missed but few landed only to be deflected by his shields. He then summoned his blade once more and dashed at them, ending their existence. Once more his energy sword disappeared after use. It seemed as though he couldn't sustain summoning his Exalted Blade for too long and could use it in short bursts for now.

As he finished off the crewmen, he heard a pinging noise as his HUD began to scramble. He spotted something blue in the corner of his eyes and instantly rolled to his side as a large blue wave of energy narrowly missed him. He looked at the source of the shot, spotting a taller Corpus with a different helmet that exposed his lower face and had a large weapon on his hand.

The Tenno sprinted at him as the Comba fired again. But he quickly moved to the side, evading the deadly wave of energy once more. The Corpus unit kept firing while moving back to put some distance between him and his target but the nimble Tenno easily evaded the shots as he began closing the distance because he had enough energy for what he estimated was a single cast of Slash Dash. After a few more shots, his magazine emptied and the Comba tried to switch to his Dual Cestra plasma rotary pistols. But the Tenno had already closed the gap considerably, and dashed forward with his Exalted Blade summoned, cutting the Comba in half before he could even fire a single shot. The scrambling of his HUD stopped.

After all this fighting using his warframe, the Tenno felt a bit strange. While he felt far more powerful and faster than an average human, he had a strange feeling. He never felt as though he was wearing his warframe or any sort of armour but rather he felt as though it was his own body. His own flesh and bones that moved and fought.

He could neither remember who he was nor anything of his past. Only thing he knew that he had combat skills with Swords and Bows and had honed his battle instincts well, evident from the battle he had with the Corpus moments ago. The Tenno was cut out of his thoughts when the face of the Lotus appeared on his HUD once again.

"An extraction ship is on its way, but the Corpus will be hunting you. I have marked a nearby weapons cache for you. Arm yourself." The Lotus stated as a golden marker appeared on his minimap, indicating the weapons cache. He exited the room and quickly made a break for the weapons cache, bypassing a small group of MOA's and crewmen on patrol undetected. He took a left, through some hallways and reached the room that had the weapons cache. It was mostly looted but there were still some weapons and ammunition lying around.

"Grab what you can, Tenno." Said the Lotus.

He looked around and picked up a Paris, a standard issue Tenno bow along with some arrows and some Kunai throwing knives. He found an arrow quiver where he placed the arrows and attached it to the magnetic harness on his Warframes' back. He placed the Kunai he found on two pouches that he attached to his side. He then picked up what appeared to be a large sword and observed it.

The sword had a larger than usual grip meant for two handed use. It had a small wheel on its guard. The blade was a bit broad, with glowing purple edges while the surface was grey and white with some green lines. This was a Gram. A Tenno heavy sword that required a bit of strength to wield but was notorious for its splitting power and its large size allowed it to hit multiple targets if necessary.

But, to this particular Tenno, this blade somehow felt light. It was as though he was used to much heavier weapons. And the lack of a sharp pointed tip meant that this weapon was not that ideal for thrusting attacks. Still it was better than nothing and it would do for now. The Tenno then attached the Sword to his magnetic harness on his back and equipped his bow as he headed outside.

Moments later, he found a small Corpus patrol in his path. There were two Crewmen armed with Dera automatic plama repeaters, four green coloured MOA proxies and an Osprey that was boosting the shields of the other units.

The Tenno acted first, quickly notching an arrow and firing it at the shield Osprey, destroying it instantly. The Corpus started firing at the warframe but he took evasive actions and switched to his Kunai and quickly dispatched two of the crewmen and a MOA. As the remaining MOA's closed in, he drew his Gram and charged at them. Once he came close to them, he quickly executed a fast 360 degree spinning slash, hitting them twice and destroying all three of them as they were in close proximity.

He holstered his blade and retrieved some of his arrows and Kunai before headed for the extraction point, indicated in his minimap on his HUD. He soon exited the crashed Orokin ship and navigated the tunnels made under the icy surface. His comms suddenly picked up an enemy transmission.

"Alpha team, what's your status. Why haven't you reported yet?" A gruff male voice stated. There was silence for a few moments before he spoke again.

"All units, stay alert. Alpha team has gone dark. I repeat, Alpha team has gone dark."

"The extraction point is up ahead. Hurry before the Corpus find you." Lotus informed. The Tenno continued his heading towards the extraction point. On the way, he found two patrolling crewmen. He quickly dispatched them silently using his Paris and moved on. Soon he reached the surface.

He was alerted by the sound of engines and looked up to find a small white kite shaped ship that was slowing down and preparing to land nearby. This was a Liset, a type of landing craft used by Tenno.

"You made it. There is the extraction ship." Lotus stated. But before the ship could land, it was struck by a volley of laser beams which destroyed it."

"Tenno, it looks like the Corpus have deployed air defense systems. You cannot get out until you neutralize those lasers. I am marking its location on the HUD. Go and disable it and then I can guide you to your old ship. It's your only chance." Lotus stated as a marking appeared in his minimap.

As the Tenno headed for the objective, he was met with a large group of Corpus crewmen and Proxies along with a Corpus tech at a distance. He was spotted and the Corpus opened fire instantly.

The Tenno sprang into action almost immediately. Pulling out his Gram, he sprinted forward. The Corpus Kept firing but he moved quickly, evading most shots while deflecting the ones that came close using his blade. Once he got close to some units, he cut them down using the heavy blade and moved to the next closest group, repeating the process.

The tech and the remaining units tried to pin him down using suppressive fire but failed to do so due to the warframe's added agility that was far superior to them. The Tenno cleaved a crewman in half with his large sword and then used Slash Dash to dispatch three more MOA's.

As the threat was closing in, the Tech threw a cryo grenade at the Tenno, attempting to slow it down. But the warframe instantly caught the grenade and threw it back at him. It exploded, partially freezing him along with two other crewmen that were near him. The Tenno leaped high into the air with his sword and came downward executing a summersaulting slam that bisected the helpless tech while the force of the impact made the other two crewmen fall down on the icy ground.

The Tenno wasted no time stabbing one of the crewman through the chest with his blade and killing him on the spot. The other begged for his life. For some reason, he hesitated for a second. But he decapitated him with his sword afterwards.

The Tenno looked back at the carnage he created. The place was now littered with pieces of broken machinery and mutilated remains of crewmen that he had cut down a few moments ago. The air was filled with the stench of death and destruction as the icy surface was stained by the blood of the Corpus. The Tenno then looked at his hands. They too were stained by blood of those he had killed moments ago.

His mind was suddenly bombarded by images of death. He saw the remains of a city. Fires were raging on as smoke was rising from burnt out buildings while the streets were filled by rubble. The ground was littered with dead bodies of men, women and children alike.

There were also bodies of what appeared to be knights of old lying around. Somehow, they seemed familiar to him but he couldn't remember who they were or what they meant to him. But still he felt a strange sensation of sorrow in his heart.

"Tenno can you hear me, Tenno are you alright?" The Tenno returned to his senses as he heard the Lotus' voice on his comms.

"I'm fine. I just got…a bit distracted." He spoke.

"The air defense systems are just up ahead. Hurry up and disable it so that you can leave." The Lotus said. From the tone in her voice, she appeared a bit concerned.

The Tenno headed for his objective once again. He passed through the wreckage of a Corpus ship. While the Excalibur faced occasional resistance from Corpus proxies and crewmen alike on his way he dealt with them without much of a problem and pressed forward.

Soon he had his objective in his sight. He spotted a large automated turret which his HUD identified as a Corpus air defense unit. It was guarded by a sizeable group of combat proxies and crewmen. There was no chance of sneaking by them so his only option was to attack them head on.

The Tenno sprang into action, intending to land the first strike. He pulled out his Paris and made a Corpus tech his first victim, putting an arrow through the visor of his helmet. Then he gracefully evaded bursts of plasma that came at him while shooting down more proxies and crewmen with his bow. A prod crewman tried to sneak up behind him and strike him with his Prova, an electric stun rod but the Tenno heard his footsteps and quickly turned around to fire an arrow at him point blank. The arrow struck him on the neck and its force pinned him to a nearby wall.

It was at that moment a larger than average MOA with white ornate armour appeared and it began firing a laser beam at it. But the Excalibur dodged it by cartwheeling back out of range and quickly struck it with an arrow. Although it appeared that his arrow did some damage, it was not enough to disable it as its shields absorbed most of the impact. The backside of the bipedal proxy opened as a small attack drone took to the air and began firing its plasma machine gun at the Tenno. He wasted no opportunity, firing another arrow at the Fusion MOA to disable it before rolling away to avoid a burst of plasma from the attack drone. He switched to his kunai and threw one at the small drone. It got stuck to its gun barrel and caused it to explode when it tried to fire its weapon.

Suddenly his HUD began to scramble as he heard a familiar pinging noise. He spotted a pair of units like the plasma shotgun equipped one he fought earlier but with different helmets and weapons. One of them had a large hi tech gun and had hover boots. There were also more crewmen and proxies headed for him.

"All units, surround the target and lay down suppressing fire. Don't let him settle on a target!" The one with the hover shoes announced. He recognized him as the voice from earlier. The Corpus began spreading out to surround him.

Wasting no time, the Tenno threw his kunai at three of the crewmen, killing them and took evasive actions as the Corpus began firing their weapons at him. He skillfully dodged all the plasma shots targeting him and dispatched one or two targets with his Paris when he had the opportunity in between. He climbed up a broken part of a crashed corpus ship to gain high ground and sniped a tech and two more MOA's.

He notched another arrow and was about to fire it at another target, when he noticed the Scrambus aiming his Opticor at him. Instinctively, he jumped down as the electronic warfare unit fired a beam of blue energy from his weapon at the direction of the Tenno, missing him. The Tenno fired his arrow at him the moment he landed but the Comba unit got in front of his target and projected an energy shield from the circular devices attached to his wrists, blocking the arrow. The unit then switched to a pistol like weapon and fired a volley of small missiles from it.

The Tenno rolled to the side as the barrage of micro missiles struck his previous position and exploded. He quickly sent an arrow at the Comba, aiming for the head. The unit simply deployed his energy shields to block it.

This was exactly what the Tenno wanted. He noticed that the shield it projected was strong but only covered a limited area. So, he instantly fired another arrow downwards at his legs. This time, the arrow struck the Comba in the knee. He fell down on the ground, grabbing his leg in pain. The Tenno finished him off with a Kunai.

He then diverted his attention to the Scrambus. The electronic warfare unit aimed his Opticor and fired off a beam after a second or so charging it which the Tenno dodged. then charged his weapon and fired a second time but his target jumped out of the way and the beam hit a prod crewman behind the Tenno, vaporizing him instantly.

The Tenno dashed at him as the Scrambus tried to shoot the warframe down with his laser cannon. Every time the corpus fired his weapon the Tenno would evade the beam in a graceful display of acrobatics while closing in on him. After another failed shot, it appeared as though the power cell on the opticor was out of charge. The Tenno had closed the gap considerably. So instead of reloading a fresh power cell, the unit pulled out his lecta taser whip.

"Come on faceless betrayer!" The Scrambus shouted while swinging his Lecta in front of the Tenno in an intimidating manner, the whip crackling with electricity.

The Tenno simply stared at him blankly, before putting away his bow and drawing his Gram. Like warriors of old, the two began to circle each other with their focus fixed on their opponent.

The Corpus unit made the first move, charging at him and swinging his Lecta. The Tenno simply leapt back to avoid the electrified whip. But the Scrambus was relentless. He moved forward quickly and swung his whip once more. The white warframe dodged but the whip grazed his shoulders, his shield absorbing the electric damage. The Tenno charged forth as Ren swung his whip once more. This time, the whip wrapped itself around the heavy blade the Tenno was using.

The Taser whip delivered a strong electric shock that began to steadily deplete the shields of the Excalibur. The Tenno began to channel his void energy into his Gram. The edges of the blade began to glow brightly as the Tenno cut the Taser whip with a mighty swing. Wasting no time, the Tenno summoned his Exalted blade on his left hand and instantly charged at the surprised Corpus scrambus with a great burst of speed. Ren couldn't do anything as he was cut in half by the Tenno almost immediately.

The Tenno sheathed his blade as his HUD returned to normal. He then headed for the air defense cannon and reached a console below it that was used to control the system. Aided by his warframe's tactical assistance software, he hacked into the system to disable it. The Lotus's face popped up in a smaller screen on his HUD.

"Nice work taking down the air defense systems. Now follow the marker to reach your old ship." The Lotus stated. The Tenno followed the mark on his minimap and soon reached a clearing where a liset like the one earlier was parked.

"There it is, your ship. Hurry, Corpus reinforcements must be on their way." The lotus informed as the Tenno made his way to the small kite shaped landing craft. It had wires connected to it which connected it to a console.

"Disengage the suppression system so we can restart the ship. You'll need to bypass the security on that panel." The Lotus said. The Tenno accessed the panel and hacked it. The wires detached and a male voice was heard on the comms.

"Stop touching me you-What? Are my sensors deceiving me? Operator is that you?" The voice asked.

"Enemy reinforcements are here. Ship Cephalon, we require immediate extraction." The Lotus informed the voice that was now identified as the ship's cephalon.

"The operator is in danger? I will need a few moments to cycle the engines!" The cephalon stated as multiple Corpus units began to converge on the location. The Tenno fought hard to defend the ship as the Cephalon did his work. He Tenno struck down numerous advancing crewmen and combat proxies with his ranged weapons before they can even get close. While some who had actually succeeded in getting close to the target were cut down by the Tenno. He was almost running out of arrows and kunai when the sound of the ships engines being activated was heard.

"Tenno, the ship is ready. Time to leave." The Lotus informed as the Tenno dashed to his ship. It hovered up a bit and opened a panel with a slot for the warframe to attached itself to it. The panel closed, putting the Tenno inside the ship.

The remaining Corpus kept firing but with little effect against the liset's shields as the ship rose above the ground more and slowly pointed its nose upward. Then it fired up its engines with a loud boom and disappeared into the sky.

Thus, began a new chapter in the war for the Origin system. But can a single warrior make any difference all alone?

 **To be continued…**

* * *

 **Author's note: Well there you have it for the first chapter of my story. While I originally intended to include more scenes after our protagonist escapes, I felt that it would be too big for a starting chapter and decided to cut it short. I will include that content in the next chapter though. Also, I am not exactly going to follow the Warframe canon accurately as I have lots of ideas for the plot of this story.**

 **Anyway, be sure to send me some constructive feedback and suggestions and feel free to ask any questions regarding the story. Some feedback is really appreciated. Flamers would be ignored though.**


	2. Nothing more than a Blade

**Path of Honor**

 **Disclaimer:** **I do not own Warframe. Nor do I own any references to other franchises. I only own my OC's.**

 **Hello readers. PrimedBlade141 here with the newest chapter in Path of Honor.**

 **Warning: ****This chapter contains disturbing themes.**

"Speech."

' _Thoughts.'_

" _Telepathy/voices in the head"_

 _WARFRAME HUD MESSAGES_

* * *

 **Chapter 1: Nothing more than a Blade.**

" _You are useless, nothing but a burden!"_

" _It is the duty of a knight to protect the comrades who fight beside him."_

" _All these people…their blood is in your hands."_

" _Hehehe if you haven't shown me mercy, your friends would have been alive by now."_

" _There is no use. Give it up. You can't save anybody."_

The Tenno got up from sleep, panting heavily. After the escape from the Corpus in Europa, he felt tired and dozed off in his Liset.

"Operator, are you all right, were you having a F#$ED UP NIGHTMARE…a bad dream?" The Ship cephalon asked. The Tenno spotted a strange blue colored holographic object shaped like a hexahedron that had some cracks on its surface. This was the visual form of a cephalon which they use when interacting with organic beings. In reality, they had no actual physical forms and was only information.

"It's all right. Just a dream. How long was I asleep?" The Tenno asked.

"You fell asleep right after we escaped and have slept FAR TOO LONG-for ten Earth hours." The cephalon stated. The Tenno noticed that as the Cephalon spoke, it had radio wave like ripples around itself.

Oddly his voice somehow was a bit glitched and he ended up saying stuff that you wouldn't expect an emotionless entity like a Cephalon to say. The Tenno wondered if the Cephalon was actually once a human being who was made to remove all emotion and become what he is today.

"Anyway, Operator I am glad you have finally returned. I am Ordis, ship Cephalon. A shadow of my former self. I cannot serve the operator in such condition." The Cephalon now known as Ordis stated. "Order me to self-destruct and I will understand." He added in a sad tone.

"It's okay. Don't be too hard on yourself. I still might need you." The Tenno said. Glitched or not, he still needed the Cephalon to manage the ship. The Lotus' face popped up on his HUD.

"The Corpus are always trying to scavenge this old technology. It is superior to theirs. Perhaps there are systems left in the orbiter compartment?" She spoke. The Excalibur headed to the backside of the ship to check for any working systems that may be of use.

Inside, it appeared that many of the components were missing or heavily damaged. It was unlikely that those can be restored to working conditions.

"LOOK AT THIS MESS, THOSE SAVAGES!" Ordis said in a glitchy tone. "Components have been removed. The lower orbiter components have no life support. Why did the operator abandon me?"

"I don't know why, but I just can't seem to remember how exactly I ended up with you in the first place. Do you know anything Ordis?" The Tenno asked.

"I'm terribly sorry Operator. I too have lost a sizeable portion of my memory. I am useless as a Cephalon." Ordis replied.

"No problem Ordis. I'm sure we can work together and figure a way to get out of this mess." Said the Tenno.

"Thank you, Operator. Your optimism-BRINGS TEARS TO MY EYES-makes me glad." The Cephalon stated. It seemed as though he actually got emotional rather than being glitched.

"In the meantime, we have to work with whatever we got left. What's the status on all systems Ordis?" The Tenno asked.

"Operator, we haven't got much left but we are lucky that our navigation system is still intact and so are the Ship's generators. Shields and cloaking mechanisms are still functional." Ordis replied.

"Arsenal management could be restored if the Operator wishes it." The Tenno headed for the part of the orbiter compartment which housed the Arsenal system that was used to manage equipment. It was intact but appeared offline.

The Tenno looked around and found a small device on the floor that looked like it could fit in a space on the arsenal management system. The Corpus probably tried dismantling it but forgot to take it away before he escaped. He then placed the device in that space.

The systems lit up instantly as he placed it indicating its activation. A holographic interface appeared which showed details of his Warframe and the weapons he was currently carrying.

"You honor Ordis. Now I can supply the Operator with better modded firepower…" The Cephalon spoke up but stopped as he realized something.

"Oh, the violation! Those have been looted as well." He said in a depressed tone. The Tenno used the arsenal interface to check for any weapons or mods and sure enough he found nothing.

"Guess we'll have to get the stuff we need. Lotus, do you know any place to start?" The Tenno asked the Lotus.

"Tenno, I have found a communication segment we might salvage for your ship. When you are ready, activate your navigation systems." The Lotus replied.

"Ordis hopes the operator will punish the Corpus for dismantling it." Ordis said in a glitchy tone.

The Tenno figured that the glowing button on the floor at the front part of the ship was for the navigation system so he pressed it. A large holographic display depicting the solar system covered the entire room. It showed that they were currently orbiting Europa with their cloaking system activated and there was a marker on a Corpus ship which was probably their next destination.

 **Corpus supply ship, few moments later.**

Just as advanced as it appeared from the outside, the interior of the ship was a proof of the technological advancement of the Corpus. Every system was automated. Security cameras monitored the crewman who were busy maintaining the ship or any of their machines present on board while bipedal MOA proxies and hovering osprey drones patrolled its hallways and corridors.

It was all quiet aboard the ship until a grate fell down on the floor and soon afterwards, an armed Excalibur Warframe dropped down silently. Luckily this part of the ship was isolated so the crew were not aware of his presence yet.

"The segment you need is in a nearby vault. Infiltrate the vault and retrieve it." The Lotus told the Tenno as a marker indicating the vault appeared on his minimap.

With his bow ready to fire, the Tenno cautiously began making his way towards his objectives. Since his goal here was to retrieve the comms segment, he decided to be stealthy instead of going guns blazing. As such, he would hide if he found any enemy patrols in his way and would wait for them to pass before moving on. Sometimes he would find security cameras monitoring the ship which he would evade by timing his movements properly so that the cameras where facing a different direction when he quickly passed them. Soon, he was near his objective.

"This vault is equipped with a variety of security measures. How you defeat those measures is up to you." The Lotus informed.

The Tenno found the door to the vault room being guarded by a single Corpus crewman. There was no way to slip by him unnoticed. But luck was on the Tenno's side as there were no patrols nearby nor were there any security cameras. The Tenno shot an arrow at his helmet which pierced his visor and ended his life. Wasting no time, he picked up the body and hid it in a corner. Then he made his way to his objective.

Just as the Lotus mentioned, the vault had security systems guarding it. This included moving laser barriers and some security cameras. The Tenno decided to observe and plan his approach. At first, he thought of avoiding the laser barriers with proper timing as he could find a pattern in their movement but decided against it as security cameras could still be a problem. Plus, some of the doors appeared locked. He then looked for alternate routes.

Sure enough, he found a vent large enough for him to use. So, he climbed onto the vent and reached the inner vault from above. There was a crewman guarding it but he didn't see the Tenno yet. Drawing his blade, the Tenno took advantage of his position by dropping down on the helpless crewman and killing him. He then hacked the vault to open it and retrieve the communications module.

"The segment is yours. Head to extraction." The Lotus said on his comms as a marker appeared on his HUD. The Tenno exited the vault using the same route he used to infiltrate it. As he silently made his way to the extraction point he was alerted by alarms.

"Attention to all combat personnel. We have found bodies of two crewmen. There could be Tenno in this place so all combat units on high alert. This is not a drill, repeat this is not a drill." A voice announced over the intercoms of the ship.

"They know you're here." The Lotus informed.

"I know. No need to remind me." The Tenno replied as he made a dash for the extraction point. If he found any enemies blocking his path, he would swiftly deal with them. Soon he found a group of armed crewmen along with a good amount of proxies heading for him. But the Tenno noticed that there were glass windows on the ship near their position. So, he fired a few arrows at the glass, causing it to shatter and create a hull breach. The ship's automated systems acted instantly and locked down the affected portion, giving him a chance to escape. He wondered who in the right mind would keep glass windows on ships uncovered at times like this. But for now, at least he could exploit it for his own gains.

He soon reached the extraction point and found the Liset's entrance slot on the ship's hull. A nifty feature with these landing crafts is that they can attach to larger ships without alerting them, allowing Tenno to infiltrate it and escape with ease. He connected himself to the slot and soon the Liset detached from the Corpus vessel and quickly left the scene before the Corpus could do anything.

 **Back inside the Orbiter.**

"Orbiter void cloak engaging…welcome back Operator." Ordis said as the Tenno entered the ship. It seemed that the Cephalon was worried about him and was relieved to see him come back in one piece.

"The Operator has recovered a segment. INSTALL IT NOW-Ordis patiently awaits its installation." The Cephalon stated.

"It's not like I have any other option other than to install it now." The Tenno spoke up. He then installed the communications system in the front part of the ship.

"Systems engaging. I SUPPOSE THIS WILL DO-Ordis is grateful." Ordis said as the communications systems came online.

"The Operator is now connected to other Tenno in the system. If Operator wishes, he can now contact-BLACK MARKET SCUMBAGS-contact arms dealers." The Cephalon said as it would seem that he has a disgust for the black market and all those related to it.

"Excellent idea Ordis. Tenno, we need to make contact with a Corpus defector sympathetic to the Tenno cause." The Lotus suggested.

"They will of course require compensation." She added.

"In other words, we need to pay them for their services. Not sure if people who live only for money are trustworthy or not." The Tenno added.

"You see what Ordis is referring to Operator?" Ordis stated.

"Don't worry Tenno. He has proven his usefulness to the Tenno many times. Besides an arms dealer like him would think twice to betray the Tenno since he is wanted by both Grineer and Corpus alike." The Lotus informed.

"And in this case, compensation will not be credits…it will be freedom." The Lotus said which somehow didn't surprise the Tenno.

"Hmm then if I can make him owe me, then I can get some better service. So where is he locked up?" The Tenno asked the Lotus.

"Tenno he is currently held captive by the Grineer in a Gulag on Earth. I have sent the coordinates on your navigation." Said the Lotus.

"All right Ordis, set a course for Earth. Let's free this defector before he gets executed or sold to the Corpus." The Tenno ordered.

"Fine. As you wish, Operator." The Cephalon said.

 **Few hours later...**

Earth. The planet that was once the homeworld of the Human race is now merely a shadow of its former glory. The ecosystem in most parts is now drastically different from what one would expect. Mutated forests cover most of the landscape of the planet, making it a difficult place to live. Even the Grineer are trying hard to adjust to the terrain as all their attempts to reshape it had proven to be futile.

In one remote part of the planet, where vegetation wasn't as wild as the other parts there was a Grineer gulag built for the purpose of holding captives of the Grineer empire. Those who were not killed by the Grineer were either used as slaves by the empire or were used for experimentation in order to find a cure for their genetic deterioration. Unlike the advanced design of the Corpus, Grineer structures usually tend to be crude and unsophisticated. If anything, the gulag looked like a factory of sorts from the outside due to the chimneys pumping out smoke.

A Liset came in low and dropped an Excalibur Warframe at a remote part outside the gulag before leaving. Since the Grineer did not possess any advanced technology capable of detecting the landing craft while cloaked, it wasn't much difficult for Ordis to sneak in and drop the Tenno.

"The arms dealer is named Darvo. He is being held at the other side of this factory complex." The Lotus informed as the Tenno headed for his objective.

The Tenno didn't find any patrols on his way so he was able to enter the factory unnoticed by moving through some large pipes. Once inside, he found the place to be even larger than it appeared from the outside.

Compared to the Corpus, the technology of the Grineer was crude and unsophisticated which was reflected in the design of the factory. It had a more industrial feel with the conveyer belts transporting scrap metal and all the pipes littering the place. And unlike the Corpus the Grineer did not use any security cameras or any other monitoring systems. Instead there were Grineer troops patrolling the area as lower class labours went on with their work.

And unlike the Corpus who used unmanned combat proxies along with combat trained crewmen equipped with shielding technology, the Grineer followed a radically different combat doctrine. Grineer units made use of crude body armor of various quality. Male units were equipped with bulky looking armor while female units had more streamlined armor with the level of protection and quality varying depending on rank and unit type.

Not only that, the Grineer were equipped with ballistic and other types or archaic weapons ranging from carbines, assault rifles, sniper rifles, light machine guns, flamethrowers and grenade launchers. They were not capable of mass producing energy weapons like the Corpus so they went for cheaper options. But despite their crude nature, these weapons were no way ineffective as evident from their dominance in the system and conflicts with the Corpus. Some of the Grineer were even seen with some melee weapons like machetes and cleavers with heated blades. Usually lower ranking units were issued such weaponry and their role in combat was to charge the enemy head on in order to close the gap so that they could to use their deadly blades.

"How many Grineer slaves died to build this place?" The Lotus commented. The Tenno knew that such a large-scale factory would require a large workforce to construct and maintain. The hazardous environment along with the violent nature of the Grineer meant that this number was no joke.

Once again, the Tenno decided to take a stealthy approach. This time the environment gave him an advantage as the large factory provided him lots of options for him to maneuver and bypass enemy patrols. The noise of heavy machinery made it even easier to mask the sound of his footsteps.

At one point, he found a Scorpion, a low ranking Grineer female unit with a machete in his way. He silently dispatched her by stabbing her from the back with his greatsword before dumping the body in a pool of some weird green gooey stuff that seemed to be corrosive. He made a mental note to avoid coming in contact with it as some of the pipes seemed to be leaking it and followed his minimap. Soon he was close to the objective. He was faced with a large gate.

"This is the prison block. If you can avoid detection by the wardens, it may be easier to get Darvo out." The Lotus suggested as the Tenno hacked a nearby console to open the large door and made his way into the prison block carefully in order to avoid being seen by the wardens patrolling the area.

The Tenno took the higher ground to get a better vantage point to survey the prison block. He carefully observed all paths into the inner chambers where the prison cells were located along with the wardens (female Grineer units in yellow armor) and their patrol routes. After a bit of thinking, he formulated a plan.

Then he set his plan in motion by using his bow to silently dispatch one of the wardens equipped with a sniper rifle who was monitoring the area from a high vantage point. After that he targeted two more wardens that strayed a bit further from others and hid their bodies once they were dealt with. Now only one out of the four wardens he spotted were alive and he had no trouble getting rid of her. Then he made his way to the inner prison through some vents. Once inside, he found a lone warden patrolling the area.

The warden didn't spot him yet. So, the Excalibur instantly took aim with his bow and put an arrow through her head. After that, he proceeded to check the prison cells.

He hacked open the first cell and found it empty. Afterwards he opened another but this time he found a dead Grineer labourer. Then he opened another one and found a middle-aged man wearing a blue outfit that was similar to what you would expect from the Corpus. He was wearing a helmet but his face was exposed.

"Darvo I presume?" Asked the Tenno.

"Yes, I owe you for this Tenno. I will get my entourage to meet us in orbit once we are clear of this mess." The black-market dealer replied as the Tenno handed him a pistol that belonged to the warden he killed a while ago. It was a Kraken, a Grineer made pistol that fired in bursts of two shots.

"Which way does the hurting come out?" Darvo asked. The Tenno was a bit surprised at first but later realized that he was joking since he is an arms dealer.

"Sir I have to charge you extra for that information." The Tenno replied sarcastically causing Darvo to burst into laughter.

"Haha you got me there Tenno." Darvo replied as he deactivated the safety of his gun.

"Extraction is ready. Remember your success here depends on getting Darvo out of there…alive." The Lotus informed on the comms.

"Yeah I figured out that much." The Tenno stated as he began escorting the arms dealer to the extraction point.

"All right now follow me. If we find ourselves under fire by the Grineer, I want you to take cover while I deal with them." Said the Tenno.

"Got it. I'll keep my head down if we get into trouble." Darvo stated as they headed out of the prison complex.

The arms dealer carefully followed the Tenno as they made their way to the extraction point. They were successful in bypassing Grineer patrols but as they almost reached the extraction point, their luck ran out as they found a large group on Grineer troops on the way. They couldn't pass them unnoticed so fighting them was their only option.

"Darvo, stay in cover while I clear a path for you. Don't move until I say so." The Tenno said as he notched an arrow on his bow. Then he fired it at an explosive barrel, causing it to explode and kill some unlucky Grineer units near it.

The Excalibur instantly sprung into action to take advantage of the confusion caused by the explosion. He sniped a soldier operating a turret along with some heavy units with his bow first before engaging the other Grineer troops. The cloned soldiers kept firing at him with their weapons but couldn't hit him due to his mobility. He dispatched a Grineer lancer with his Gram as some units tried to surround him. But before they could do anything, the Tenno blinded them using his radial blind before killing them with his Kunai.

"Get over here!" A Grineer Scorpion shouted as she fired her grappling hook at him, only for the Tenno to narrowly avoid it using his reflexes. Acting quickly, he closed the distance using Slash Dash and finished her off. For some strange reason, he found the words spoken by the scorpion funny but he didn't know why.

"Your Clear Darvo, move it!" The Tenno exclaimed as he had dealt the Grineer. As Darvo began making his way to the extraction point, The Tenno spotted another group of Grineer troops approaching. He instantly got to the rampart and used the twin machine guns on the turret to shred the incoming enemies, allowing Darvo to reach the extraction point.

The Liset approached the extraction point and the arms dealer boarded it. The Tenno soon followed and after picking him up, Ordis blasted off before the Grineer air defenses activated.

 **Few hours later, inside the Liset.**

After rescuing Darvo from the Corpus, the Tenno dropped him off on a ship belonging to his men. In return, the black-market dealer was kind enough to give him parts for his mods segment along with a few mods for him to equip on his Warframe and weapons. Now he was in his Liset which was in Orbit around Earth.

"I see the Operator can enable the Mods segment now. Ordis would be delighted to show you how to upgrade your arsenal. May I recommend fire?" Ordis said as the Tenno installed the parts for the mods segment and activated it. It wasn't too hard as all he had to do was put the parts in the empty spaces.

"Operator I have linked the mods system to your arsenal now. No need to thank me-UPGRADE YOUR WARFRAME NOW-go to the arsenal to see what weapon upgrade options you have." The Cephalon stated. The Tenno made his way to the arsenal system and activated the interface. He now found options to add mods to his warframe and weapons.

The modification option highlighted slots available for placing mods on his equipment along with mod capacity and what mods he currently possessed. The mod system was an Orokin invention that allowed modification of the attributes and capabilities of weapons without heavily altering it physically. The Tenno equipped the mods he got from Darvo, adding extra damage to his Paris and Kunai while adding damage and heat damage to his Gram. As for his warframe, he added mods for extra energy capacity, power duration, range, strength and efficiency.

"An excellent choice for now Operator. There are hundreds of these mods to locate. If my calculations are correct then there are exactly—a lot of possibilities. Install the mods before we can continue" Ordis stated as the Tenno finished modding and put the weapons on his arsenal. The mechanical arms on it inserted some sort of small needle like objects into specific slots made for them on his weapons and Warframe. He guessed that those were installing the desired mod setup to his gear.

After everything was done, he took his Gram and looked at it. The blade was instantly alight with flame, indicating that the mods he added were already in effect. Before he could do anything, Darvo's face popped up in a screen on the corner of his HUD.

"Thanks for helping me out back there. I'm in your debt…and I often pay my debts." The arms dealer stated. The Tenno was a bit surprised because he expected the arms dealer to consider it even since he had already given him parts for his mod segment and a few mods for him to use.

"So, what's the reason behind contacting me other than to thank me again?" Asked the Tenno. He felt something was wrong.

"Well Tenno, I just received a very explicit message from your ship Cephalon. If you needed resources then why didn't you say so?" Darvo replied, shocking the Tenno. He didn't expect Ordis to go that far.

"I know just the place but I demand an apology…my mother is no gymnast and she would never eat those things." The arms dealer added but Ordis decided to cut in.

"You can go straight to-Operator I am sorry." Said the Cephalon.

"Ordis, apologize to Darvo. Now. It's really rude to behave like that." The Tenno ordered.

"Tch fine-all right. I am sorry for my behavior earlier Darvo." Ordis apologized to the black-market dealer.

"Wow, you may want to get a new ship Cephalon when you can afford it…that one seems glitched." Said Darvo. The Tenno expected Ordis to say something but the ship Cephalon remained silent.

"I have marked your navigation with a place I know…good for resources…if you can stand the cold." The arms dealer added.

 **Himalayan Mountain range, few minutes later.**

Somewhere in the upper levels of the Himalayan mountain range was a series of outposts built by the Corpus to store their resources. While the Grineer controlled most of the planet, this location was ideal for the Corpus as the empire was less likely to look for them here due to the subzero temperature and the hostile environment. Even if they were found, the Corpus had an edge as the terrain made it difficult to mount any land-based assault.

The Liset came in and dropped the Tenno on the outskirts of the outpost before returning to orbit with its cloak engaged.

"Darvo's intel suggests that this outpost houses several rich supply caches. Raid the caches and take what you need." The Lotus stated as the Tenno headed into the outpost to look for the caches. He saw a lone Osprey patrolling the area which he got rid of by putting an arrow through it, causing it to explode into tiny pieces. There weren't any other units around so no one noticed him.

The Excalibur entered the nearest building to look for the caches. Just as he entered, he was spotted by a Corpus crewman. But before he could fire his Dera plasma repeater at him, the Tenno eliminated him with a well-placed Kunai that pierced through his visor and continued his search.

"So, what exactly are the Corpus anyway? They don't look like mercenaries or soldiers but they are armed to the teeth." The Tenno asked the Lotus.

"Tenno, the Corpus are a secretive but powerful merchant cult who worship money. Darvo will fill you in." The Lotus informed.

"Legions of robots, mindless automatons, freakin lasers! These guys are bad news but they are loaded which is why you are here." The arms dealer stated. But still the Tenno wondered about the source of their wealth.

"So, from where exactly all this money come from?" asked the Tenno.

"There are lots of sources for their income and most of them are rather…questionable. Let's just say these guys do a lot of shady work." Darvo replied as the Tenno found a resource cache. A Corpus tech and a pair of MOA's were guarding it but they were quickly dealt with. Then the Tenno proceeded to loot the cache.

"Keep moving. There are more caches in this outpost." The Lotus informed over the comms.

"Technically this is stealing but don't let it bother you. The Corpus aren't exactly beacons of moral fortitude either. They sell _anything_ to _anyone_." Darvo mentioned which the Tenno found amusing considering Darvo's occupation.

"Heh it's ironic to hear such words from a black-market dealer." The Tenno stated sarcastically.

"Don't get me wrong. I like profit…a lot but I don't sell my wares to the dammed Grineer. That's unforgiveable." Darvo retorted.

"A black-market dealer with a conscience. No wonder the Lotus trusts you." Said the Tenno as he continued his search for the other caches. He occasionally ran into Corpus patrolling the area but he dealt with them easily without allowing them to raise the alarm.

After a few hours, he had found and looted the remaining caches and headed for the extraction point. On his way, he found two crewmen. They didn't spot him yet so the Tenno prepared to eliminate them. But before he could do so, he heard something interesting.

"Have you heard the news? One of our outposts in Venus got attacked. There were no survivors." One of the crewman said.

"Yeah I know. I heard that all contact was lost with that place. A team was sent to investigate but all they found was lots of bodies and destroyed proxies." The other crewman stated.

"I'm telling you. It was the Tenno. Nobody could wipe out an entire base so quickly other than them." Said the first one.

"I can't think of anything else either. And I heard something else. They say the commander was killed by a sniper shot...from a distance over three thousand meters." The other crewman added.

"That's just insane. How do we even fight these monsters?" Said the first one.

"Erm shouldn't your bosses stop their shady stuff to avoid pissing of the Tenno?" The Excalibur decided to join the conversation.

"Well you got a good po…" The first crewman said before he noticed who said it. Both of the crewman became transfixed with fear at the sight of the Warframe.

"T.. te..Tenno!" Was all that they muttered before the Tenno cut them down.

' _A kill from over three kilometers huh. That's something.'_ The Tenno thought. He knew that landing an accurate shot at that distance required immense skill and one had to take multiple factors into account such as gravity, humidity, wind and the Coriolis effect. Regardless he safely extracted from the Corpus outpost with the resources he had acquired.

 **Back inside the Liset.**

"Hey Ordis, I got the resources I need. Now care to explain what exactly I need them for?" The Tenno asked. The stuff he collected were nothing but circuits, alloy plates, morphics and some neurodes. He couldn't think of anything in the ship that needed those.

"Operator you need the resource to make-BADASS TOOLS OF KILLING-necessary weapons and equipment." The Cephalon stated, glitching as usual. Not that it was much of a problem to him unless of course if Ordis decides to involve others like what he did with Darvo earlier.

"So how exactly do I make stuff. Do you have any tools for the job?" Asked the Tenno.

"Operator, the ship has a foundry system that can craft all your necessary equipment provided you have the blueprints and resources." The Cephalon mentioned. The Tenno however had something else in mind.

"Is the foundry in working shape?" He asked.

"Checking...BLOODY CORPUS THIEVES-the foundry is sadly looted." Ordis said.

"Great. Lotus, do you know any place we can get parts for the foundry system?" The Tenno asked the Lotus over comms. He knew by now that the Lotus was more than capable of monitoring his every move.

"A nearby ore extraction colony will have the foundry technology you need. I am certain they will share it with you. Its location has been added to your navigation console." The Lotus answered. The Tenno was a bit relieved because he expected another venture into enemy territory to get what he needed.

The Tenno activated his ship's navigation console and was about to plot a course to the colony when suddenly the Lotus's face appeared on the corner of his HUD.

"Tenno we may have a problem, the Colony is unresponsive. Get to the surface so we can see what's going on." The Lotus stated.

"Ordis get to that colony ASAP!" The Tenno ordered his ship's cephalon. Somehow, he had a bad feeling about this…

 **Mining Colony, few minutes later.**

Somewhere on Earth was a neutral mining colony inhabited by people who didn't work for the Grineer or Corpus. They were just plain folk who lived their lives peacefully by mining for resources and selling them. Usually the place would be bustling with activity with miners being seen working hard to earn their livelihood as the children peacefully played around carefree while others did their own thing.

However, the colony was eerily quiet. There were no signs of colonists as the Liset dropped off the Tenno. It didn't take long for the Tenno to find the reason for this as he spotted Grineer dropships parked by the Colony.

"I was afraid of this. The Grineer are here and…" Before the Lotus could finish, the Tenno rushed into the colony. He hoped that if he acted quickly he could save their lives. Soon, he was met with a horrific sight.

[BGM: Fate/Zero OST: Fate to Zero by Kajiura Yuki]

He couldn't tell if this was real or just a horrible nightmare but in front of him he saw corpses…lots of them. There were piles of bodies belonging to the colonists. Men, women and even children, all brutally murdered by the Grineer. At a distance away from him, there were Grineer soldiers dumping more dead colonists to a spot as a flamethrower equipped Scorch unit was preparing to incinerate them.

That was not all. He felt as though he could hear…voices. It was as if the souls of the dead colonists were still lingering on the spot and he could hear them. He could feel their sorrow, their pain and helplessness before they were killed. Some were crying in agony while some were in anguish for seeing their loved ones killed right before their eyes and not being able to do anything about it. Some of them held out hope that they would be rescued but sadly nobody came for them.

All this suffering and pain was really making the Tenno feel distressed. He felt like throwing up but for some odd reason, he didn't. But that was not all that he felt. Something was boiling up deep inside of him.

Rage.

"You…bastards…I'LL KILL YOU ALL!" Drawing his Gram, the Warframe instantly charged at the Scorch unit and stabbed it through the back with the heavy blade, killing him instantly. The nearby Grineer were alerted as the saw their comrade killed right before their eyes.

"Tenno skoooom!" A Grineer Butcher unit cried out as he lunged at the Tenno with his bloodstained cleaver ready to strike. But the Tenno quickly swung his sword with the dead Scorch still attached to it, throwing the corpse at the melee unit and knocking him of his feet. Before he could recover, the Excalibur leaped up into the air and plunged his blade through the butcher's chest killing him instantly.

The other Grineer units in the vicinity opened fire at him but the Tenno moved swiftly, evading all incoming fire as he slaughtered one Grineer after another with his Gram. At a distance away from him, a Grinner soldier with a greenish-white camo and a helmet resembling a top hat was observing the carnage unfolding before him. This was a Grineer field commander.

"Attack, kill the Tenno skoom!" The commander ordered as more Grineer units moved in to engage the Tenno. Among them was a tall and armored female Grineer unit who could be identified as a Grineer heavy gunner. She began laying down suppressing fire on the Tenno with her Gorgon light machine gun.

The Excalibur Warframe deflected incoming bullets with his Gram while he began closing the gap on the heavy gunner. His fast movement speed and erratic movement pattern made it hard for bullets to land on him. Once he came close, he sliced her thin prosthetic legs with a single swing to make her fall then pierced her chest in an instant with his sword.

The remaining Grineer units tried to surround him but the Tenno had other plans. He summoned his Exalted Blade with his left hand and planted the tip on the ground. In an instant, multiple copies of the weapon were shot towards the Grineer trying to surround him, killing them instantly. This was Radial Javelin, his warframe's third ability

Seeing all his soldiers being no match for the enraged Tenno, the commander was beginning to panic as he caught the attention of the Warframe. He ordered the remaining few shield lancers to form a defensive line to hold of the enemy as he made a run for it. The soldiers put forward their crude riot shields in front of them in order to form a barrier.

Channeling his energy into his Gram as he brought the weapon to his side, the Tenno shot forward like a bullet and broke right through the defensive line and disintegrated the shield lancer units. He then pulled out his bow and took aim at the fleeing commander.

It was only a few more meters for the commander to reach a Dargyn which he could use to escape. Just as he came close to it, he fell down on the ground as an arrow had pierced his knee. He looked back to see the looming figure of the Tenno towering over him. While the Warframe lacked any sort of facial features, he could feel the rage of this Tenno.

[BGM end]

"F…forgive me, _Captain Vor_ made me do it, p…please let me g…" The Tenno paid no attention to him and began brutally pummeling him with his fists in rage. He was hell bent on making the Grineer pay for his crime as he unleashed all his anger on the helpless commader. It didn't take long for him to kill the Grineer commander but he still continued.

"Please stop it Tenno, you have already killed him." The Lotus stated over comms but the Tenno showed no signs of stopping. The sound of the Warframes' fists coming down hard upon a Grineer units' face was echoing across the empty colony.

After a while the Tenno became tired and slowly came to a stop. Looking at the dead Grineer in front of him, he saw that the commander was now nothing more than a bloody lump of flesh and bent metal plates. He looked at his hands and found them stained crimson red with blood.

"Tenno…are you alright?" The Lotus asked. She was quite worried about the Tenno judging from her voice.

"I'm fine. Don't worry about me." The Tenno stated as he wiped the blood off his Warframe's arms.

"Come on Tenno, you still have a job to do. Retrieve the foundry segment." Said the Lotus. The Tenno silently nodded and retrieved the foundry system from one of the storage rooms before he headed back to the extraction point. On the way, he stopped by where the Grineer were dumping the bodies of dead colonists.

"This was once a prosperous independent colony until the Grineer arrived. May their fallen souls now find peace knowing that they are avenged." The Lotus stated.

But the Tenno wondered if his actions really made any difference or not because at the end of the day, the colonists were still dead no matter how many Grineer soldiers he struck down.

He then looked back and saw the carnage he had created. There were blood everywhere as mutilated bodies of Grineer troops were scattered all over the place. He questioned himself. How exactly different was _he_ from the Grineer?

But in the end, none of it mattered because he knew that his path was already set for him and the only thing he could do was move forward to the very end no matter what it held in store for him. That was the least he could do.

 **Back to the Orbiter.**

"Welcome back Operator. I'm glad you are still in one piece." Ordis greeted the Tenno as he entered. But the Tenno paid no attention to him and installed the foundry system.

"Foundry restored. Here the Operator will craft many powerful weapons and tools to-EXACT REVENGE FOR DISMANTLING ME-to expand your arsenal." The Cephalon stated. The Tenno said nothing and sat down leaning against the mods segment of the ship as he felt tired after all the things he went through. Soon he fell asleep….

 **Unknown location.**

The Tenno slowly opened his eyes and was shocked when he saw that his hands were stained by blood. When he got up and looked around, he found himself somewhere that was not his ship but a landscape that looked like something out of a horror movie.

[BGM: Tales of Zestiria OST: Throne of the God that Caused Everything by Motoi Sakuraba]

As far as he could see, there was nothing but blood all around him. He found himself standing knee deep on an endless sea of blood. Even the sky was stained red.

' _This can't be real!'_ The Tenno ran. He didn't know where he was nor how he could get out so he just ran towards the direction his eyes were pointed at. But soon he tripped on something and fell down. He got up and looked at what made him fall.

It was the corpse of a boy that he saw in the mining colony.

' _No this is not real!'_ Panicking, the Tenno began to step back slowly only to bump into the corpse of another colonist. Then more corpses began to surface from the blood and soon he was surrounded by numerous corpses.

Suddenly, the lifeless corpse of the colonist boy began to stand up unnaturally. He stared at the Tenno with an empty expression.

"You couldn't save me." The boy muttered in an emotionless voice as the other corpses began to rise up at stare at the Tenno.

"It hurts…why couldn't you save us?" Another corpse belonging to an elderly colonist muttered. The Tenno fell to his knees, holding on to his head.

"No…no…no this is not real. It's just a dream!" The Tenno muttered. Then there was a disturbance in the sea of blood as something big began to rise up from it.

It was hard to tell what exactly this thing was but it was a large black humanoid creature. Its 'head' had no facial features or anything. But there was a large vertical gaping maw on its chest with rows of numerous razor-sharp teeth. The creature had blade like appendages for arms.

The creature extended multiple long, thin tongue like objects from its maw that grabbed the Tenno before pulling him towards it. Just as he was about to be devoured by it, a small shadowy figure appeared from within the maw. It looked familiar to the Tenno but he couldn't identify it. The figure placed its hand on the Warframe's chin and spoke in a voice that was all too familiar to him:

His.

"It doesn't matter if this is real or just a dream. You couldn't save anybody and you won't be able to save anyone else either." Was all he heard before he was consumed.

[BGM end]

 **Back inside the Orbiter.**

"Gah!" The Tenno woke up, gasping for air. He calmed down when he found himself in the Orbiter and was relieved that it was all just a dream. But the last words he heard still haunted his mind.

" _It doesn't matter if this is real or just a dream. You couldn't save anybody and you won't be able to save anyone else either."_

The Tenno was quite distressed. He was unsure if his actions or his existence could actually make any difference. He even questioned about why he was even a Tenno to begin with as he couldn't remember how exactly he got such power or his past life.

He was suddenly cut off from his thoughts when the ship's radio scanner picked up an enemy transmission.

"Attention all Grineer batallions in sector D-shux-chee (D63), by the order of Captain Vor, you are to deploy at an Ostron village at N-fhuve-eught (N58) suspected of possessing Orokin technology. Be advised; Vor will personally oversee this operation. Glory to the Queens." A voice that could be recognized as a Grinner stated. He remembered that it was Captain Vor who ordered the massacre of the mining colony. The mention of that name made his blood boil.

"Ordis, you heard that?" The Tenno asked the Cephalon.

"Yes operator. Should I plot a course for that village?" The Cephalon replied.

"Make it quick. We may be able to reach in time!" The Tenno ordered as he prepared his weapons.

"Roger that Operator. Engines set in full throttle. I'll inform the Lotus as well." Ordis said. Now the only thing in the mind of the Tenno was saving the villagers from the clutches of the Grineer. He hoped that this time, he won't be too late…

 **Ostron Village, Earth.**

Somewhere on Earth where there was no mutated forests and an environment suitable for habitation was a village inhabited by Ostrons. They were a group formed by survivors, merchants and farmers alike who lived their lives through fishing, mining minerals, farming and trading with other friendly off-worlders.

While the majority of the Ostron population lived in a settlement called Cetus near the Plains of Eidolon, this was one of few small villages a long distance away from it. While the didn't get any protection from the Orokin tower looming over Cetus or any other faction, life was peaceful here. They faced no threats that one would find out in the Plains nor did any external threat from warring factions.

But that was about to change as Grineer soldiers began approaching the village. It was a large contingent of various infantry units ranging from low ranking Butchers to standard lancers along with some heavy units. The sight of the Ostrons made the cloned soldiers want to rip them apart but they were not ordered to do that _yet_.

Leading the group was a Grineer that looked different from the rest. He wore a unique brown armor that was vastly different from what your average units would use. It had various pipes visible on it while he had both his legs and right arm replaced by mechanical ones. He wore no mask and his face was that of a wrinkled old man. It would appear that he had lost his left eye and it was replaced by a cybernetic one. This was Captain Vor, a Grineer officer who was notorious for his brutality.

The Ostron villagers were alerted at the presence of the Grineer. Most of them took shelter in their homes, praying that the Grineer leave them be. But some of them stayed outside to confront the incoming invaders. They didn't have any firearms so they came out carrying weapons that included spears, small swords and knives made by them.

"Who's in charge of this heap? Captain Vor of the Grineer Empire would like to have a word." The Grineer captain said to the villagers. One of the villagers, a middle-aged man came forward. His face was filled with anger and he clenched his fists in rage.

"We have heard what you did to the other villages! Leave now and we'll…" He couldn't finish as a heavy bullet pierced his chest killing him. A red handgun was seen at the hands of captain Vor. It had some gold colored metallic parts and smoke was coming out from its barrel. This was Seer, the captain's prized pistol which was a combination of Grineer and Orokin technology.

"I will ask again, who is in charge here?" The Grineer officer asked in an angry tone. This time a woman came forward.

"That would be me. Word spreads. We know of your reputation." She stated as Vor approached her.

"This planet doesn't need more scavengers." The ostron woman who was in charge of the village spoke. But the Grineer seemed to have become even more angered by her words. Using his mechanical right arm, he grabbed the villager by the neck.

"You are the only scavenger here you filthy Ostron, selling history to the highest bidder!" Vor exclaimed as the threw the Ostron woman down on the ground.

"Listen well, this planet and everything on it belongs to the Queens. The Orokin left something here and we want to take it!" Said the Grineer as he motioned to his troops.

"Search every one of their houses for scrap. If you find anything older than me then bring it. And you know what to do with those that resist." The captain ordered as the troops began searching each and every house. When they didn't find what they wanted, they claimed that the villagers were resisting and began killing them.

In one of the huts, a mother was ten-year-old daughter in fear. Suddenly Grineer troops barged in and started dragging them outside. She tried her best to hold onto her daughter but she was snatched from her.

"Mitsuki!" The mother cried out her name but a Grineer butcher kicked her in the face. The melee unit then struck her in the right arm with his cleaver. She cried out in pain, holding her injured arm as the butcher raised his cleaver once more. It was going to be the end for her any second now…

Before the Butcher could strike, an arrow pierced his skull, causing him to drop dead on the ground. The ostron woman looked to see her savior and saw a white colored Warframe with a bow. It felt like an angel has descended from the heavens to help her. The Tenno reached out for her, wanting to help but she refused.

"Please…save…my…daughter..." Was all she muttered before she died. The Tenno found some Grineer units gathering some villagers, including a little girl to a single spot in order to execute them. As the Grineer prepared to kill them, the Tenno used his kunai to dispatch them before charging head on at a lancer and stabbing him with his Gram.

"Get to safety, I will deal with the Grineer!" The Tenno ordered as the villagers obliged. But he noticed that the little girl wasn't moving because it appeared that she got blinded. So, he asked a villager to move her to safety.

The Tenno then turned his attention to some Grineer units that were approaching. Seeing their fellow soldiers' dead before them, they looked pissed.

"Tenno skoom!" One cried as they open fired. The Tenno took evasive actions to dodge the bullets and used his bow to kill two lancers. A butcher tried to attack him at close range but the Excalbur quickly pulled out his Gram and stabbed him through the chest with the heated blade. After that, he summoned his exalted blade and dashed to another nearby group of soldiers and struck them down. After that, he noticed a different looking Grineer wearing a brown armor at a distance away from him.

When Captain Vor heard the commotion caused by the Grineer, he instantly went there to investigate and found the Excalibur killing off his troops. A twisted smile formed on the face of the Grineer captain as he spotted the white Warframe.

This was because of his interest in Warframes. Vor was once and admiral of the Grineer who was tasked by the Queens to eradicate all Tenno threats. But He instead tried to capture the Tenno in order to harness their powers to create a new breed of stronger and less decaying Grineer clones. This led to the Queens to demote him into the rank of Captain for failing to obey their orders.

"Sir, should we engage the Tenno?" A Grineer Bombard unit who was a squad leader asked. But the captain raised his hand to stop him.

"No. This one is mine." Vor stated as he made his way to the Tenno. This time, he will succeed in capturing the Tenno and then the Queens will love him once more. The Tenno looked at him and spoke:

"Captain Vor, I presume?" He asked. While the Tenno lacked any resemblance of a face, captain Vor could feel the anger within his voice.

"Ah I guess my reputation precedes me." The Grineer captain said as he bowed humbly.

"Oh good. I am glad you are here. Now I can finally punish you for your crimes." Said the Tenno. But Vor laughed which caused the Tenno to become even more angry.

"Tenno, before we start a pointless fight, let me offer you something: Join me. You and your warframe will be a valuable asset to the Queens and the Empire." Said the Grineer captain. The Tenno pointed his greatsword at Vor.

"You…disgust me. As if I will join the ranks of rotting scum like you." He spoke. Vor seemed a bit displeased by the Tenno rejecting his offer and pulled out his Seer.

"Very well. It looks like we will have to kill you and take your warframe. Your corpse will serve us well!" The Grineer stated.

"If that's the case…then…I SHALL DRAG YOU DOWN STRAIGHT TO HELL!" With a great burst of speed, the Tenno charged straight at Vor with his Gram ready to cut down the captain. The Grineer units before him didn't get the time to react and they felt like a strong gust of wind passed by. In the blink of an eye, the Tenno was in striking distance of Vor, his blade was inches away from splitting him in half.

Instead of the Grineer captain, the blade was met with only air as captain Vor had teleported away from the Tenno. He fired off his Seer at the Tenno who used his blade to deflect the shots and began heading for his target.

"Don't just stand there, Grineer…attack!" The captain ordered as the other units engaged the Tenno. Couple of butchers lunged at the Tenno but the Excalibur executed a fast 360 degree spinning slash that cut them down instantly and leapt away as a rocket propelled grenade fired by a bombard exploded on the spot. The Tenno instantly pulled out his bow midair and fired an arrow at the heavy demolition unit which struck the unit in the face, killing him.

Once again, the Tenno began making his way towards the Grineer captain while skillfully evading incoming fire and enemies in his path. A shield lancer tried to block his way with a riot shield but he leapt over the obstacle in order to land behind the unit and stab it. Seeing the Tenno distracted by the Grineer, Vor decided to use the opportunity to attack.

"This will hurt!" Vor exclaimed as he pulled out his Janus key with his left arm and fired a powerful beam of golden energy at the Tenno. The Warframe didn't have time to evade so used his Gram to block the beam. The attack was strong enough to push the Tenno back so he channeled his own void energy into his blade.

The purple blade began to glow brightly as the flame on it became even more intense. With a single swing, the Tenno deflected the beam at a group of Grineer near him, vaporizing them. Vor was shocked seeing the power of the Tenno, who decided to use the opportunity by charging straight at him using Slash Dash.

Once again, Vor dodged the attack by Teleporting and he reappeared behind the Tenno while attempting to fire his Seer at him point blank. But the Tenno expected this and, in an instant, he turned around and executed a slash with his Gram that struck the unaware Grineer captain in his left arm and severed it. Before Vor could do anything else, the Tenno followed up his attack with a roundhouse kick that knocked him back a few feet and made him fall on the ground.

Wasting no time, the Tenno leapt high into the air and did a somersaulting slam with his greatsword, intending to land the killing blow on the Grineer captain who was holding his right shoulder in pain.

However, he was repelled by some kind of force as Vor had used the Janus key to create golden dome of energy around himself. He then teleported away while teleporting in some Grineer units at his location in order to catch his opponent off guard.

But the Excalibur acted fast, casting Radial Javelin to kill the Grineer units trying to surround him. At a distance he saw Vor retreating, being assisted by a fellow lancer. The Tenno pulled out his bow and took aim at the fleeing captain and fired his arrow.

The Grineer however saw this and quickly pulled the lancer in front of him as a shield. The arrow struck the lancer instead of its intended target.

"Grinner…pull back. We will strike back…with the _ghouls"_ Vor ordered as the Grineer started laying down suppressive fire on the Tenno while retreating. The Tenno pulled out his sword to deflect incoming bullets as he took evasive actions. By the time he could prepare another arrow, they were already well out of range.

"Well done Tenno, you have routed them for now. I am impressed that you were able to injure Captain Vor." The Lotus said over comms as the Tenno headed back to where the surviving villagers sought shelter.

On the way, he saw the what carnage the Grineer had caused. There were bodies of Ostrons scattered across the village along with the numerous corpses of Grineer that he had slain. Most of the houses had been set on fire. The Tenno felt guilty seeing all this. Once again, he was unable to save lives. If only he'd arrive sooner…

But regardless, he decided brush those thoughts aside for now and press forward no matter how hard or agonizing it felt. The surviving Ostron villagers took shelter in a large house that was untouched by the flame. Inside, he found that only fifteen or so survived. Some of them were lying around, badly injured as others tended to them. It wasn't certain if they will make it or not. He also found the blind girl he saved earlier. Her wounds were treated but she felt weak and was sitting down on her bed. She looked thirsty so the Tenno gave her a glass of water which she drank.

"Tenno, thank you for saving me…" She muttered weakly. But the Tenno did not say anything and remained silent as he stood beside her.

 **Elsewhere…**

After retreating from the village, the Grineer took shelter at a base camp they set up for the operation. The Grineer where busy resupplying ammunition as a medical crew were moving Captain Vor to a Bolkor dropship on a stretcher. Before they boarded, the Captain motioned a squad leader to come to him.

"Get…back to that village and…. finish what we started. Let…. the… _ghouls_ …. lead…. the charge." The officer muttered weakly as the soldier nodded in agreement. The medical crew took him inside the dropship before it flew away, leaving only the Grineer soldiers.

If one looked closely at the ground near the base camp, it would appear that somebody had dug up the ground and buried something underneath. Suddenly, some deformed looking beings began to burst out of the ground.

 **Back in the village**

It had began raining. While the fires burning the Ostron homes have been extinguished, the pain and sorrow of the village wasn't washed away by the rain. It lingered on like a ghost haunting the village. The Tenno spent his time standing by Mitsuki, watching her. He felt sorry for her, seeing her become orphaned at such a young age.

"Head's up Tenno, scans are picking up a large group of hostiles converging towards your location. It's the Grineer." The Lotus informed.

The Tenno prepared to go outside but stopped when Mitsuki grabbed his hand. The little Ostron girl heard about the Tenno from the stories her mother told her. She heard stories of how the Tenno, honor bound warriors and the masters of the Warframe armor could turn the tide of battle with their skills and power. There was a lot of things she wanted to say to him, a lot of questions she wanted to ask. But she only muttered three words;

"Tenno…strike true."

The Warframe nodded and headed out. He told the villagers to barricade themselves and wait for help as he went to face the incoming threat.

"Tenno, they will be approaching from the North. ETA five minutes." The Lotus informed as the Tenno began checking his gear in preparation for the battle. He still had a decent number of arrows and Kunai left along with a good supply of energy for his Warframe. But his Gram looked a bit worn from all the battles he participated in one after another. While it was still more than useable, he knew that it wouldn't last much long…

"Careful Tenno, I'm detecting unknown units amongst the Grineer ranks. Use caution when engaging them." The Lotus advised.

Soon, he was able to see the horde of enemies approaching from a distance. The Tenno saw that this time, there was something different about them. Instead of the usual bulky armor-clad soldiers there were some twisted beings leading the charge. They looked like malformed humanoids, yet vicious and animalistic. They were of various shapes and sizes.

Deciding to draw first blood, the Tenno notched an arrow on his bow and scanned for a potential target. He never saw, let alone fought a ghoul before so he decided to kill one first. The one that caught his attention where the smallest ones. They appeared weak fragile but were running ahead of the pack.

His suspicion was raised even more by their choice of armaments. It appeared that they some sort of spiky shield like gauntlets attached to their wrists but they looked more like bags carrying something inside instead of an actual weapon. And so, he notched an arrow and fired it at one of them

The arrow struck the shield like thing on its arm and in an instant, it exploded, taking out some nearby ghouls with it. He realized what the purpose of those units were: to act as suicide troops.

So, Tenno charged into battle with his bow at the ready. He moved quickly, evading the Ghoul Expired units lunging at him in an attempt to grab him and detonate their explosives. The Tenno fired off his arrows at the suicide troops at the right moment so that their bombs took out other Ghouls near them. It worked as he managed to take down a decent number of Ghouls by using this strategy.

He suddenly heard the sound of motors behind him and quickly turned around to block a strike from a Ghoul unit with a large Buzzsaw. This was a Ghoul Rictus, a Ghoul that was a bit larger than the expired and more equipped for combat. It tried to strike him with the saw once more but the Excalibur parried the weapon using his Gram and cut the unit in half with a single strike.

However, a bit of the Ghoul's blood splattered on this left hand and suddenly he felt like his arm was starting to get numb as His HUD began to show a warning message.

 _WARNING: PARALYTIC AGENT DETECTED, ACTIVATING COUNTERMEASURES_

"Be careful Tenno, it looks like their blood has the ability to paralyze your Warframe." The Lotus stated as two more Ghoul Rictus attacked him, charging at him while riding their circular saws. The Tenno evaded their attacks until the numbness in his left arm was gone thanks to the Warframe's biological countermeasures which neutralized the paralytic agent. This enabled the Tenno to switch to his bow and snipe the two ghouls. After that, the Excalibur used his Kunai to kill two more Ghouls that remained.

While the Tenno was able to fend off the first wave of Ghouls, he looked a bit tired due to all the non-stop fighting. He had around twenty arrows left and still a decent amount of Kunai. Then, the Lotus' face appeared on his HUD.

"Tenno, another wave of enemies is incoming. I advise you fall back and extract." The Lotus stated.

"No…I am not leaving this place!" The Tenno exclaimed, which surprised the Lotus.

"But you cannot hope to take on so many Grineer alone in your current state, falling back is the only option." The Lotus said. But the Tenno was still determined to fight. He wasn't going to run away.

"I couldn't save lives earlier but this time…I won't let that happen. Even if it costs me my life…so be it!" Was all he muttered before he pulled out his Gram and prepared to charge head first into the enemy.

"Very well Tenno. Hold your ground until reinforcements arrive." The Lotus stated as the Tenno saw more enemies approaching. Channeling void energy into his Gram, the Tenno charged at the incoming horde of Ghouls. He was well aware that the Ghouls paralytic blood can really cause a hindrance which was why he decided to channel more than the usual, causing his blade to glow with a brilliant bright light.

His blade struck down a Ghoul Auger, a Ghoul equipped with two drills on its arms, first. Due to the void energy, the Ghoul disintegrated completely without the risk of its blood coming in contact with the Tenno. The Warframe cut down more Ghouls in its path in a similar fashion before he leapt high into the air. He casted Radial blind to blind all the Ghouls surrounding him and quickly pulled out his bow to snipe the explosives attached to the Ghoul Expired units in order to take down the ghouls near them. Just as he landed, he switched to his Kunai and used them to kill more Ghouls while on the evasive.

While the Tenno was distracted fighting the Ghouls, the Grineer troops decided to use the opportunity to attack the Tenno from range using their firearms. The Warframe suddenly leapt away as his location was struck by a hail of bullets and RPG's. He saw that the Grineer took position on a ridge overlooking the battlefield in a distance and were targeting him.

The Tenno decided to switch Targets and prioritize the Grineer troops. He quickly began making his way towards the ridge while dodging and blocking incoming enemy fire. While he evaded most of the enemy fire, some still managed to hit him and completely deplete his shields and hit the Warframe. But the Tenno ignored the pain and pressed on. The Ghouls gave chase, some of them ended up dying from the gunfire and rockets intended to strike down the Tenno.

Soon, the Tenno reached the ridge and he quickly dispatched the Grinner units using his Slash Dash. But there was still a horde of vicious Ghouls on his tail.

Since he was running out of arrows and Kunai, he picked up a Gorgon light machine Gun that a heavy Gunner was carrying and aimed it at the incoming Ghouls. The Tenno held down the trigger and mowed down a decent number of Ghouls using the LMG. After a few seconds of firing, he ran out of ammo for it as more and more Ghouls were approaching.

The Tenno was becoming more tired with all the fighting. He had a little number of arrows and Kunai left and he expended a good amount of his energy in his channeled strike. Not only that, he wasn't sure how much longer his Gram could last. But still, he didn't want to retreat so he had only one option left: fight.

Once more, the Tenno charged head first into the fray. He used channeled strikes from his Gram to dispatch Ghouls while occasionally using his bow and Kunai to kill Expired Ghouls. It seemed like there was no end to Ghouls as it felt like each Ghoul he struck down is replaced by three more and as time passed his movement were becoming less graceful as he was becoming more exhausted. This was evident when he got hit a few times, once by the buzz saw launched by a Ghoul Rictus that grazed his right arm while another time a Ghoul Auger was able to hit him with its flamethrower. Yet the Tenno endured the pain and kept on fighting.

While the Tenno fought, he wondered if his actions could make any difference here. Was it worth risking his own life? But he brushed aside those thoughts because he felt that it wasn't the time for them. Only thing he should focus on is slaying his enemies. Because now, he was nothing more than a blade to kill those who threaten the lives of others. Soon the Tenno ran out of Kunai and had a single arrow left.

A Ghoul Auger clad in yellow showed up. This one was an alpha which meant that this one was more smart and vicious compared the other Ghouls. The Tenno fired his last arrow at it but the Ghoul was quick. It used its drills to burrow underground to avoid getting hit by the arrow and appeared in front of the Tenno and instantly lunged at him with his twin drills ready to strike. The Tenno was caught off guard and reflexively tried to use his Gram to block the attack.

CLANG!

His greatsword broke in half from the impact of the twin drills and the Ghoul struck the Tenno on the chest, knocking him down a few feet back. The Alpha charged forth, trying to land the Killing blow but the Tenno recovered quickly and used a channeled Slash Dash to disintegrate him.

The Warframe staggered in pain as blood dripped from the injury in his chest. Suddenly, the Tenno felt something hit him in the side as something began to pull him. He spotted a large bulky looking Ghoul unit with hooks mounted on wrists and a visor with a single red unit pull him towards itself with some sort of winch in its mouth. This was a Ghoul devourer.

The Tenno struggled to get free but he couldn't for being weak due to exhaustion. As he was being pulled towards the Ghouls' gaping maw, he spotted an Ostron spear on the ground. The Tenno grabbed it instinctively and used all his strength to pierce the Ghoul through its skull just as it was about to bite him.

However, the Ghoul's blood had splattered all over his Warframe and he was beginning to feel numb as more Ghouls surrounded him. Using all the energy he had left, he casted Radial Javelin to disperse all the Ghouls around him.

By now, the Tenno was exhausted. He had barely enough strength to stand up and was using the Ostron spear as support. His vision was gradually becoming more and more hazy but he could make out what appeared to be more Ghouls approaching him from a distance. The last thing he saw was a blinding light before he collapsed and everything became black.

Perhaps in death, he shall be rid of this nightmare and finally find peace.

Or will he?

 **To be continued….**

* * *

 **Author's notes:** **Well that's it for the second chapter. I got to admit, I had to rush up some scenes as I wanted to publish this by today. For the most part, I used the Story in Vor's prize here but didn't include Vor from the start like the game as the Ascaris burrowing into the Tenno's mind wasn't going to go well considering the state of his mind, which was why I modified it in many parts. His mental state will be a key focus of the story. And yes, the last part in the Ostron village is from the Ghouls comics, with some changes. Also thank you Warframe wiki for being so helpful at times.**

 **Another thing I want to say I that I can't guarantee if I could publish the next chapters within the next three months or so. It's just that my University has a rule where you have to spend an entire semester in a special residential campus and I don't know if I would get the chance to upload my stories from there.**

 **Anyway, be sure to send constructive feedback or share your opinions on the story.**


	3. The boy who wanted to make a difference

**Path of Honor**

 **Disclaimer:** **I do not own Warframe or any other references made in this story.**

 **Hello readers, PrimedBlade141 here. Thanks for all the favs and follows with this story. Really appreciated. This chapter was delayed a lot due to exams and the Sacrifice finally getting released.**

 **Also, with the recent release of the Sacrifice update on PC, what do you people think of it? Personally, I really enjoyed the quest due to it's amazing narrative (Not gonna spoil anything) and soundtrack along with finally being able to get the much-awaited Excalibur Umbra. Plus, the new changes to the exalted weapons which made them separately modable was a nice touch. But the best part would be Excalibur finally getting a physical looking blade for his Exalted Blade ability. Looks a lot better than the older version IMO. That and the quest gave me a good idea about this story that I will implement a few chapters later. Don't worry, it won't be that much of a spoiler for the Sacrifice quest either because it's just something based on a concept shown in the quest. And this story is still AU.**

 **Anyway, here is the third chapter. Enjoy.**

* * *

 **Chapter 2: The boy who wanted to make a difference.**

It was an afternoon in spring. The weather was calm as the clear blue sky had neither traces of any dark clouds nor was there any scorching heat of the sun. Such lovely weather was perfect for anyone who wanted to go outside and enjoy the fresh air. In a house situated in a peaceful suburb, there lived a boy who was around twelve years old. He had ebony black hair and brown eyes.

While most kids of his age were playing outside with their friends, this boy stayed at home and passed his time by reading books. Compared to other children, he had different hobbies. He was quite the curious one for his age and as such, he loved reading. Even topics that one would consider to be too complex for someone his age such as history, literature, political science and philosophy were actually his favourite topics to read about. He would often ask his father to bring new books for him to read.

But due to him being a bit different from other kids of his age, he had few good friends and was often bullied by others. And the fact that he was a bit of an introvert didn't help him much either as he had a tougher time socializing and making friends. For this reason, he mostly preferred to be in the company of his books.

Currently, the boy was reading a big book with a red cover. He was eagerly reading something about the Hundred Years war when something caught his interest. It was Joan of Arc, the maid of Orleans who was famous for her role in the war and later becoming a martyr after being burnt at stake. The boy was quite intrigued by the story of how a simple village girl had made such a huge difference for her country all by herself. He too wanted to join the military so that he could serve his nation and protect it from all those who dared to harm it and its people. He wanted to do something meaningful with his life, something that would make a difference and benefit others as well instead of getting an average boring job and earn money like most people believed.

But sadly, he doubted if this dream of his would become a reality as his parents would not allow him to join the military because of the fact that they want him to become an engineer. Even So, he hoped that perhaps fate might give him the opportunity to fulfil this dream of his. After all, he could always hope for the best.

Little did he know that everything was going to fall apart around him few years in the future...

 **Unknown location.**

Death was something that most people feared and tried their best to avoid even though it was inevitable. Life and death were two sides of the same coin. The existence of one is meaningless without the other. But to him, death was a welcome friend, a respite from the agony he was going through. He slowly opened his eyes and saw only a blinding white light. He wondered if he was already dead and if this was heaven. But then again, he didn't think that he would go to heaven for his actions.

Then as his vision began to get clearer, he realized that he was actually still alive and was staring at the light on the white celling while lying down on a bed.

As realization hit him, he got up and looked at his arms as he felt that something was different. Instead of seeing his Warframe's armoured hands, he saw his own, something that surprised him. He looked around and noticed that he was in a hospital room of sorts.

' _Was it just a dream?'_ he thought, believing that everything that happened, from escaping the Corpus to defending the village was just a horrible nightmare.

And Then, he noticed his Excalibur standing still like a mannequin in one corner of the room. This meant that it wasn't a dream. It was all real. The Tenno became sad at this realization. He would have felt better if he had just died instead of going through all this.

But that wasn't all because he regained a sizeable portion of the memories his past. While he still couldn't remember many things like how he became a Tenno or his parents, he remembered most of his childhood, how he used to live a normal life like any other normal person.

Then, everything changed in one fateful night.

He couldn't remember exactly how it happened but the only thing he remembered that it was a night when the sky had unnaturally turned crimson red. He somehow ended up in a world that was different from his. It was a world that he believed didn't exist outside of fiction.

He remembered that due to him being born in a different world, he had a certain immunity from a so called 'curse' that was said to dwell within all humans at that world. For that reason, many considered him their chosen saviour and he was trained to become a knight so that he could save them from an incoming era of darkness that was threatening to swallow them whole. He was hesitant at first but later accepted it as he believed that his immunity made it a responsibility and it was his destiny. He wanted to do something meaningful with his life and suddenly he felt like he found the opportunity to do so.

So, he gave his best efforts in order to fulfil the expectations that others placed upon him. On that path, he made some good friends and found comrades that were more than willing to follow him to wherever he led them, no matter what path it may be. They were like his family to him as he slowly accepted that he may never be able to return home to his own family. It was agonizing but he moved on regardless.

But it was naïve of him. Little did he realized that he was being manipulated by others for their own agendas. Not only that, he made the mistake of showing mercy to an enemy, something that would haunt him later.

By that time, it was too late. His hands were already stained with blood. It was the blood of those that he wished to protect. And the one person that he spared killed his comrades and someone he deeply cared about. He blamed himself for everything and only thing he was able to do was to take revenge. Yet, it made no difference. His comrades were still dead because of him.

And now, he was in another fictional world and it seemed even more like hell than it appeared to be.

The Tenno looked at the clean white wall and saw his own reflection looking back at him. His appearance was that of a sixteen-year-old boy who had brown eyes and black hair. But his hair now had some white accents, something that he didn't remember having. He had an athletic build due to the training he went through. He was wearing something that resembled a straight jacket with a strange insignia on the shoulders that looked like an eye surrounded by multiple swords pointed at it. There was also something written in a strange language and the number 627.

As he observed his reflection, he thought as though he saw his own younger self for a few seconds, looking back at him with an innocent smile on his face.

But he knew better. He had long since crossed the point of no return and there was no turning back for him. He could never have a normal life anymore after all he had done and the only thing he could do was walk down the path set for him.

"So, you finally woke up? I must admit, you almost had me worried there." The Tenno was cut off from his thoughts and noticed someone enter the room. It was a feminine looking Warframe that had a slender and elegant build. It had a blue and white colour pattern, with its main body being white and the rest being mostly blue with some gold. It had a skirt and a halo like headpiece that had two decorative ribbons hanging from the sides. On its back was a Dex Nouchali syandana, a long white scarf like Tenno accessory with a golden lotus symbol attaching it to the Warframe's back. While the Warframe did not carry any visible weapons, the Tenno appeared to be cautious by her presence, something that she noticed.

"It's all right. I don't mean any harm. You can calm down now." She assured as her Warframe glowed with a pale blue light as a figure materialized in front of it. It was a girl who was a few years older than he was. She had long blonde hair that came down up to her waist and emerald eyes. Her outfit consisted of a white zip up jacket that had some gold and black linings along with a black skirt. She also had a blue military beret. Her jacket had two visible insignias, one depicting an Excalibur prime holding onto a sword with both hands that had the Lotus symbol while the other depicted a Trinity prime wielding a shield that had a red cross symbol on it. Both of the insignias had three golden stars below them which probably meant that she was of high rank.

"Where am I?" The younger Tenno decided to speak first.

"You are in the infirmary of our clan dojo." She answered. "The Lotus was broadcasting an emergency message, requesting any Tenno close to Earth to provide support to a Tenno who was holding off waves of Grineer from an Ostron village all by himself. My brother and a few clan members were nearby and they responded. When they arrived, they finished off the stragglers and found you in a bad state and brought you here." The very mention of the village suddenly made him realize that he had almost forgotten about the Ostrons that he was defending.

"What about other survivors? Not all of the villagers were killed."

"No need to worry. They found a group of survivors holed up in that village. They sent the injured to a relay for treatment and the rest were sent to Cetus. They are safe now." She assured as he sighed in relief. At least he was able to save somebody this time.

"But that wasn't all they found." She stated. "They said that the place was littered with the corpses of Grineer. There was well over a hundred of them with many of them belonging to a new type of Grineer that we have never encountered in the past. And the Lotus said that you managed to badly injure Captain Vor. How did you survive at all even though you weren't well equipped?"

The younger Tenno did not mutter a single word. He remained silent and looked at the floor with a sad expression on his face. She noticed this and realized that now wasn't a good time to ask such a question.

"I'm sorry if it was wrong for me to ask such a question. I can understand if you don't feel like answering it now. Not everything can be shared with others." She said as she sat beside him.

"It's alright. I did what was necessary. I just wish I reached there sooner."

"Don't be too hard on yourself." She said as she placed an arm on his shoulder to comfort him. "You can't expect to save everyone. Even I often found myself unable to save the people I wanted to save."

"Ah I forgot to introduce myself properly. I am Alice, chief of medical staff and a Member of the _Holy circle_ of the _Knights of Pendragon_." The girl now known as Alice stated as she extended her right hand towards the Tenno with a gentle and caring smile on her face. The younger Tenno hesitated a little at first but somehow, he felt like he could trust her. So, he slowly reached for her hand.

"Ken. Call me Ken."

"Ken, huh? That's a wonderful name. Simple yet meaningful." Alice said as he shook his hand. Ken was quite curious why she found his name meaningful. Just like she had said, it was a simple word but it meant sword in Japanese. He could not fathom why she found it meaningful as a sword was nothing more than a tool to kill.

"So, how are you feeling now?" Alice asked.

"I'm fine. It's just that I feel a bit strange being out of my Warframe." Ken replied.

"Do you feel pain in someplace or any feeling of nausea?"

"No. I don't think so."

"Any headaches?"

"No."

"You sure about that?"

"Yeah but I might get a headache from you constantly asking me such questions." Ken joked, causing Alice to giggle.

"Glad you feel better now. It looks like I can discharge you but I need to run a few scans first just to be safe." Alice said as she got up.

"Scans?"

"Oh, nothing to worry about. I assure you, it won't hurt at all." Alice teased.

"Come on I'm not a little kid you know." Ken stated as Alice activated some sort of holographic interface from a small device attached to her wrist.

 **Somewhere on Earth**

Deep within a dense overgrown forest on Earth, where gigantic trees towered over everything else as large grass and other mutated foliage covered almost every inch of the ground, there was a small Grineer base on a clearing. It was exclusively used for resupplying troops and repairing drop ships along with other Grineer vehicles. The cloned soldiers were busy stocking on ammunition as mechanics were arming the few Dargyn's and a single Bolkor troop carrier. They were a detachment that was soon going to be deployed to punish a colony in the name of their Queens.

To subjugate a colony, the Grineer didn't need that much firepower but the said colony happened to be protected by trained soldiers of the _Steel Meridian,_ a group of ex-Grineer soldiers who could defy the queens due to a genetic flaw. Led by a veteran Grineer defector, the Steel Meridian sought to protect the weak from all those that threatened to harm them, including their former comrades.

Initially, a platoon of Grineer troops were deployed to attack the colony. It was supposed to be an easy job. All they had to do was to enter the colony and kill everyone on sight. But they were not aware of the presence of Steel Meridian soldiers. Their understanding of Grineer tactics and expertise on guerrilla warfare enabled them to gain an upper hand on the invading Grineer and with Tenno allies by their side, the invading Grineer platoon was wiped out quickly. As such, the Grineer high command called upon an experienced commander to lead the offensive against the colony.

The said commander was currently observing the preparations for the operation. He had his fair share of experience in subjugating colonies and had a notorious reputation because of it. He hated the Steel Meridian traitors for not obeying the Queens and taking up arms against them. As such, he was glad he got this opportunity to crush them like insects and prove his loyalty to the Queens. Perhaps he might even be promoted if they get impressed by his work. The very thought of promotion made him want to viciously slaughter all those that stood in their way and offer their heads to the Queens.

Unbeknownst to him, he was being watched. From afar, a Tenno sniper scope was aimed at him. His movement was carefully tracked as the sniper patiently waited for the perfect moment. Then the only thing that was needed was a single pull of the trigger...

Without warning, the Grineer commander fell down on the ground, dead.

 **Infirmary, Knights of Pendragon dojo.**

Back at the infirmary, Alice was done with her scans and didn't find anything of much concern. So, she was free to discharge Ken.

Currently, Ken had changed into the clothes that Alice had brought for him since she felt that walking around while dressed like a lab rat wasn't something that was suitable for a Tenno. He was now wearing a jacket with a black and white colour and had a white shirt underneath. He also had matching pants and black boots.

"You look great." Alice complemented as the Tenno checked his clothes.

"Thanks. They feel comfortable enough and the colours are fine." Ken replied. While the clothes were comfortable, for some reason felt that the materials used to make them were quite different from what one would expect.

"I'm glad you like the clothes. I was worried that you might not prefer such a simple colour." Alice stated.

"Nah, I prefer something simpler instead of stuff that's too flashy." The younger Tenno said. He remembered how embarrassed he felt when he had to wear something he didn't like against his will on numerous occasions in the past. But then again, it didn't matter much now. He then checked his Warframe. The Excalibur appeared nothing out of the ordinary but a closer look revealed that there was a strange mark on the shoulder, the same that was on the clothes Ken was wearing earlier. There was also some text in Orokin that he didn't understand. He also noticed that there weren't any signs of damage on the Warframe even though he remembered getting hit by the ghouls few times.

"Your Warframe was damaged quite a bit so I took the liberty of repairing it. It's now as good as new." Alice said.

"I guess I have to thank you for that as well. To Think that you would go through so much trouble just for me." Ken stated.

"No need to thank me. Just helping out a fellow Tenno in need." Alice replied. "And besides, its the least I could do for a brave Tenno who risked his own life to protect others. You are a true hero, Ken."

"A hero? no way." Ken scoffed. If only she knew the truth about his past. But he didn't want to disclose anything because he felt that it could come as a shock to her and anyone else. Besides, what were the chances that they were going to believe that he came from a different reality, where their reality was nothing more than a fictional universe in a video game. Even if they did, who knows what consequences it could bring for him once word got out. So, it was better to keep his mouth shut.

"Believe what you want but your actions say otherwise. You are still a hero to me." Alice stated but Ken remained silent.

"But now, I want to talk to you about something really important." Alice said in a more serious tone. The sudden change in tone surprised Ken. Did she know about what he was hiding or at the very least suspicious about him?

"Go on."

"It's about your Warframe." Alice said. "Before repairing it, I had to scan it to check for any internal damage or faults. But what I found was something quite intriguing." Ken mentally sighed since it wasn't what he was expecting but still, he was curious about what she found in his Excalibur.

"What did you find?" He asked as Alice came over to him and showed him a holographic display that showed his Warframe in detail, displaying its internal components and other data.

"You see, your Excalibur is really different from an ordinary one. Heck even different than an Excalibur Prime." As if to emphasise, the holographic screen displayed a normal Excalibur beside his own and while he couldn't understand how exactly both were different, it was clear that there were differences between the two in terms of internal components and other stuff.

"Your Warframe appears to be heavily modified internally. While I am unsure about what exactly is the purpose of such modifications, it's clear that your Warframe has a larger energy storage capacity than usual and it's more optimized for channelling energy." Alice stated as Ken looked at his Excalibur. While he didn't feel like anything was special about his Warframe when he used it in combat, he did remember that his channelling felt more intense and powerful.

"What about this?" Ken asked pointing towards the shoulder of his Warframe where there was that mark and Orokin text. "Do you know what it says or what this mark stands for?"

"The text says _Project Caliburn._ And as for that symbol, I know what that is." Alice said. "It is the insignia of a secret Orokin deep science division during the Orokin era. Sadly, that's all we know."

"I see." Ken pondered on what he just learned. He was familiar with the word _Caliburn_ as it was something from the legend of King Arthur which he had read about in the past. It was the name for the sword in the stone, often used to describe Excalibur in some versions of the legend of King Arthur. But it didn't give any clue to what exactly the true purpose of the modifications is was

"Ken, why don't you get in your Warframe and see if you can find anything." Alice proposed. Ken nodded in agreement but then he realized something:

He didn't know how to get into his Warframe.

"Erm...this might sound a bit strange but how exactly do you get into a Warframe?" Ken asked while scratching his head.

"Wait, you don't know?" Alice asked in a really surprised tone.

"Well I lost a big chunk of my memories, so yeah. I don't even remember how I even become a Tenno in the first place." Ken answered.

"I see. That explains it." Alice said. "Guess I will have to teach you about _Transference_."

"Transference?"

"Don't ask. Just follow my instructions and I'll explain later." Alice stated

"All right."

"First, focus on your Warframe and try to feel a link between it and yourself." Alice said as Ken obliged. As he concentrated on his Excalibur, he had a strange feeling like something was pulling him towards it.

"Yeah I feel something." He stated.

"Good. Now focus on your own body as well and let it get sucked into your Warframe. Don't be afraid, just let the flow take you in."

Ken did as he was told and felt like his body was turning into energy as he felt something intense pulling him towards his Warframe. Then for a second or so, he felt numb and blacked out. Then he found himself once again within his Warframe, it's HUD activating.

"All right, now what should I do?" Ken asked.

"Use your Warframe's interface and see if you could find anything." She answered as Ken activated a holographic interface from his Warframe's left arm. The holographic screen showed options for viewing the current status of the Warframe, current mission objectives and other things that didn't seem that out of place. He checked for any files that had information he needed but found none. He then decided to check the abilities tab for some reason and noticed a button labelled ' _CLASSIFIED FEATURE' Which he guessed that it was what he was looking for and so he pressed it._

At that very moment, his HUD began to flicker and change colour from blue to red as the insignia of the Orokin deep science division appeared on the screen along with some text.

 _AUTHORIZATION CODE REQUIRED FOR ACTIVATION_

He tried his best to remember if he knew the code or not but he didn't remember anything and doubted if he actually ever knew the code in the first place.

"It's no use. It requires an authorization code for working." Ken stated.

"I see. It's a shame but I guess some things just can't be helped." Alice said with an assuring smile.

"So, how do I get out of my Warframe?"

"It's simple. Just concentrate on your internal energy and think about siphoning yourself out with it." Alice answered as Ken did so. His Warframe glowed with a golden light as he materialized in front of it in his human state.

"See? It's not that difficult. Even a kid could do it if he had Tenno powers." Alice spoke as Ken looked at his body curiously. He then went back inside his Warframe once again and moved around a little before he got out again.

"Yeah. I think I got the hang of this." Ken stated. He then looked at the other Warframe in the room which belonged to Alice and focused on it, trying to see if he could take control of it. But he found himself unable to do so as he couldn't feel any link to it and Alice noticed this.

"Nice try but you can't exactly use Transference on any Warframe that does not belong to you." Alice mentioned. "The Transference bolts in our Warframes are DNA locked when they are made and can only be used by their designated operators."

"Good to know. It was worth a try." Ken said as he looked at her Warframe. It appeared quite different to him and he didn't remember any Warframe that looked like it. Although it did have some similarities with a single Warframe he knew.

"So what type of Warframe is this? I don't recall any Warframe like this." Ken asked as he observed the white and blue Warframe.

"This one is a _Trinity._ And as for why it looks different, it's a visual modification." She answered as she used Transference to get inside her Warframe and curtsied.

"It does look a lot prettier than a normal Trinity and I think it suits you really well." Ken complemented.

"T... thanks." She muttered. While one couldn't see it, the older Tenno was actually blushing a little from within her Warframe.

"So, what exactly is Transference?" Ken asked.

"Transference is the ability to possess an object and take control of it." Alice stated. "They say that it had its roots from the Orokin era, even before Tenno were actually a thing."

"Can it be used to take control of anything else other than Warframes?"

"It is possible to take control of anything as long as it has some sort of energy flowing within it, theoretically speaking. But so far we Tenno can only possess our Warframes without any risks." She answered.

"Risks?" Ken asked. He wanted to know the risks involved as he thought that transference can prove to be a useful ability should the need arise.

"You could end up being trapped inside the object you possessed permanently or could even lose yourself." The female Tenno stated.

"So, what are Warframes?" Ken asked. He wanted to know more about the Warframes due to how it felt when he used one and just to satisfy his own curiosity.

"My, you're quite the curious one, aren't you?" Alice said.

"Can't help it. As far as I remember, I have always been like that ever since I was a little kid." The younger Tenno answered. Guess some things never change no matter what happens.

"Well that is a good thing actually." She said. "Warframes are biomechanical surrogate bodies that can be used by the Tenno. It can act as a conduit to channel our _Void energy_ to be used in combat along with providing enhanced strength, agility and endurance."

"Void energy?"

"Its the energy flowing within all Tenno and the source of our powers." Alice explained. "They originate from the Void and are a contradiction to all our natural laws or any other form of logic."

"I see. This explains a lot. No wonder Warframes feel like your own body." Ken stated.

"Yes, that is correct since you are directly in sync with your Warframe when you take control of it using transference. But you should note that the damage your Warframe takes can also affect your real body to some extent, which was why you were bedridden for five Earth days." Alice stated. "If the shock is too much then you could die as well so don't be reckless when using it."

"I'll keep that in mind."

"Speaking of your real body, your Warframe isn't the only thing that has been heavily modified." Alice said in a serious tone which surprised the Tenno.

"What?"

"Your body. Scans show something really odd." Alice said as she came over to Ken and showed him another holographic screen. This time, it showed something about his own body.

"The void energy reading coming from you is off the charts. I've never seen such high output of void energy from any Tenno." Alice stated. "And it appears that there is some sort of...circuits or designated pathways within your body that allows void energy to flow more freely."

"So, they tampered with my body to turn me into some sort of...living weapon?" Ken said as he looked at his right arm. For some reason, he focused on his own energy and channelled it to his right arm. This caused some golden circuit like lines of energy to become visible as it moved along the length of his arm and gathered at the palm, forming a small golden sphere of energy. While this happened, he felt like warm sensation in him, albeit a strange and uncomfortable one.

"Whoa careful! You could end up hurting yourself badly or other around you if you try to directly use your energy like that!" Alice exclaimed as she grabbed his hand. He listened to her and stopped, resulting in the sphere of energy along with the glowing lines to disappear.

"Ken, there is a reason why we use our Warframes in combat rather than directly using our own energy." Alice said, letting go of his hand. "Like I said before, the true nature of Void energy or the Void itself is all but a mystery. But they say that when the _Zariman Ten-Zero_ made a jump into the Void, the adults were driven mad when exposed to that energy. Only the children retained their sanity but acquired strange powers. They later became the first Tenno."

"Then what does that have to do with not using our powers directly?" Ken asked. He did know about the Zarmian incident from the in-game codex descriptions but didn't get why he should restrain himself from using his powers like that. Alice then went on to explain how the Tenno couldn't control their powers and ended up harming others along with themselves, something that made the Orokin view them as demons and they wanted to get rid of the children. But the Orokin were on the verge of defeat against the _Sentients_ and having no other option left, they turned to the so called void demons. The Warframes were made to allow the children to harness their powers properly and use it in combat. Thus, a new code of warriors known as the Tenno were born. With the help of the Tenno, the Sentients were defeated.

"So, what I am saying is, trying to use your void energy outside your Warframe can be dangerous. And there is no telling what might happen if someone with such high energy output like you somehow lose control." Alice said in a concerned tone. "In other words, it's better to avoid using your void energy directly just to be safe."

"Fine. Then I won't use my energy outside my Warframe unless it's necessary." Ken stated.

"That's good enough. In the meantime, I must tell you that other than yourself, only I know about you and your Warframe's secret for now." Alice mentioned. "Not even the Lotus herself knows the full details of this and she is willing to keep everything else a secret as well..."

"Why didn't you tell this to anyone?" Ken asked. While he wouldn't trust anyone with such information himself, he didn't understand why Alice kept it a secret even from the Lotus.

"Listen Ken. People tend to be afraid of things they do not know about or are different from them." Alice stated. "There is no telling what would happen to you if others know about your secrets. If the _Tenno council_ deems it necessary then you could end up being experimented upon once more or worse. So, I didn't tell anyone about you because I don't want anything bad to happen to you."

Ken was at a loss of words. He was quite surprised as to why Alice refrained from informing her superiors about him just to keep him safe. At the same time, he was glad knowing that he had somebody he could _truly_ trust. For now, that is.

"Thanks." Ken said with a faint smile on his face.

"You're welcome. Now you better remember to keep this a secret between just the two of us." Alice said.

"Ok."

"Good, now let's get going then." She said.

"Where?"

"To talk to the Lotus. She asked me to let her talk to you once you have recovered."

"All right then." Ken said as he used Transference to take control of his Warframe and followed the Trinity.

The two of them left the infirmary and headed for the conference room to talk to the Lotus. Along the way, they talked about various things like the current state of the origin system, the Council (who, for some reason Ken felt like Alice didn't trust.) and the Knights of Pendragon. He came to know that the Knights of Pendragon happened to be one of the oldest Tenno clan in the system and was known for the valiant deeds of its honourable warriors. He also learned that the Orokin created more Tenno through questionable means after their victory over the sentients and the current whereabouts of the Zariman Tenno were unknown. After they passed some hallways and used a teleporter, they were outside the conference room.

"Here we are. And remember what I told you about keeping it a secret between the two of us." Alice stated.

"Got it." Ken replied as they entered the room.

The conference room was just what you would expect from the Tenno. Sophisticated yet elegant. It was a decent sized room with an Eastern feel that had a long table with multiple chairs and lots of holographic displays that showed the status of the ongoing conflict in various locations of the Origin system. At the other end of the room, there was the Excalibur prime insignia of the Knights of Pendragon on the wall.

There was also another person in the room, a Tenno. It was a Loki Prime Warframe, easily identified due to it's helmet that looked like it had demonic horns and protrusions on the elbow. It was coloured mostly white with some gold linings and had the Targis prime decorative armour on it. It also wore the Uru prime syandana, a long metallic scarf like Tenno accessory with that ended with a glowing blue arrow head like end that somewhat made it resemble the venomous tip of a scorpion's tail. His presence was radiating an aura of authority and he also had the clan insignia on his Warframe's shoulders but they had four golden stars below them which meant that he was of high rank, higher than that of Alice.

"Greetings Yi sensei." Alice greeted the Tenno while bowing respectfully.

"Greetings Alice." The Loki Prime user greeted. From his voice, it was clear that he was an aged man. It also made one feel like he was a wise person.

"Ken, this is Grandmaster Yi. He is the warlord of our clan." Alice said as she introduced the clan warlord to Ken.

"It is an honour to meet you, Grandmaster Yi." Ken said as he bowed in respect.

"The honour is mine, Tenno Ken." The Tenno grandmaster said as he bowed his head. He then turned his attention back at the Trinity. "So, what brings you here?"

"The Lotus told me that she wanted to talk to Ken when he recovered." Alice answered.

"I see. Very well then open a clear channel to the Lotus." Grandmaster Yi stated. Alice obliged and used one of the holographic interfaces on the room to contact the Lotus. Soon, a life sized holographic projection of the Lotus appeared.

"Greetings Tenno." The Lotus greeted the Tenno in the room and noticed Ken. "Glad to see that you have finally recovered. It would have been a shame to lose such a brave Tenno."

" _It would have been much better if I was dead."_ Ken thought as he stared at the holographic figure of the Lotus. While he wasn't that much of a womanizer, he had to admit that the Lotus was certainly what most people would find attractive.

"Tell me Tenno. What was it that drove you to risk your own life just to save a few Ostron villagers?" The Lotus asked as her hologram circled the Tenno, her eyes fixed on the Excalibur.

"I just did what was needed to be done. Nothing more." The Excalibur user replied.

"I see. So, what is your name, Tenno?" The Lotus asked.

"It's Ken."

"I shall remember your name Tenno Ken and the heroic deed you have done." The Lotus stated. But Ken was a bit uncomfortable as he didn't like being treated as a hero, something he believed that he never will be due to his past actions.

"In the meantime, I would recommend that you join the Knights of Pendragon. It would be a perfect place for a brave Tenno like you." The Lotus advised.

"That's actually a wonderful idea. I was thinking about the same thing." Alice stated with enthusiasm in her voice.

"Indeed. We would be honoured to have such a noble young Tenno amongst our ranks." Grandmaster Yi spoke up.

"So, what do you say Tenno?" The Lotus asked Ken.

"I'll...think about it." Ken muttered.

"Good. That will be all. Keep up the good work. Lotus out." The Lotus said as her hologram vanished.

"So, are you going to join our clan or not?" Alice asked with eagerness in her voice. Ken however turned his attention to the Tenno Grandmaster.

"Grandmaster Yi, if isn't rude or anything, can I ask you a simple question?" Ken asked.

"Go ahead, boy. I promise that I will answer whatever you ask honestly." The elderly Tenno replied.

"Very well. Then tell me, what do you think about _killing others_?" Ken asked. It was evident from his tone that he was quite serious. Alice was quite surprised by what he asked the Grandmaster but she didn't say anything.

"I will admit that killing others is something I do not like. It disgusts me from my very core." Grandmaster Yi stated. "But that does not mean that I am a true pacifist. While I hate such a deed, sometimes it becomes necessary for us to kill in order to do the right thing. Just like how you fought and slayed all those Grineer to protect the weak. A necessary evil that we are forced to commit for the greater good."

"I also feel the same." Alice added. "We Tenno kill because we have no other options left. And I joined the medical corps just to help people in different ways other than killing."

"I see." Ken was satisfied with their answer. At least they weren't the type that found glory in mindless bloodshed. As such, it wouldn't be a bad idea for him to join the Knights of Pendragon.

"All right. Then I guess I'll join." Ken stated. Alice looked like she was quite happy with his decision and hugged the young Tenno, much to his embarrassment. She released him from her hug when the Grandmaster coughed to get their attention.

"Tenno Ken, do you swear to be a blade that maintains the balance and a shield to protect your comrades?" Grandmaster Yi asked as he and Alice began circling around the Excalibur. They circled around him while maintaining equal distance between the two of them. It made Ken a bit uneasy as he felt like he was at the centre of their attention.

"Do you swear to follow the Tenno code and walk the path of an honourable warrior?" Alice asked. Ken again thought about his decision. While he had no qualms about protecting others from harm and killing those who truly deserved to die, he was still a bit hesitant because in the past he was manipulated by others into taking the lives of others regardless of whether they actually deserved to die or not. That guilt was still lingering in him along with the guilt of not being able to protect his comrades.

But here things were a bit different at least. Tenno were honour bound warriors who fought to maintain the balance and protect the weak (or so it seems). The were not bound to some lord or empire and had to carry out all his orders regardless of their consequences. Well they might be bound to the Lotus but at least the Lotus didn't seem like the type that would manipulate them for her own personal agendas. As for the Knights of Pendragon, Ken already considers Alice trustworthy enough and Grandmaster Yi felt quite righteous to him after hearing his answer. So, for now it didn't seem like a bad decision. And by chance if he is somehow wrong, he can at least back out, something he regretted not doing in the past. At least that mistake can make sure that he will not do it again.

"I swear."

"Very well. From this day, you are a part of the Knights of Pendragon." Grandmaster Yi announced. "I expect great things from you."

"Great. We'll take our leave from here, Sensei. I want to give Ken a little tour of the Dojo." Alice said.

"I shall leave that to you." The Tenno Grandmaster said as Alice grabbed the Excalibur's hand and dragged him outside the conference room. As the automatic doors closed, he appeared to be in deep thought.

Over the course of his long life, Grandmaster Yi had known many Tenno. Yet this particular Tenno he met recently intrigued him. Most Tenno he met, especially the young ones never even questioned about killing. To many of them, killing was like something that was a part of being a Tenno. And it wasn't uncommon to find Tenno who treated killing like some form of sport to test their abilities, with some even finding a sort of twisted form of pleasure in it.

But this Tenno was an exception. He never expected a young Tenno like him to ask such a question. He didn't seem to be unfamiliar with killing as evident from his combat reports that the Grandmaster had read earlier. Yet, he questioned about killing, something that appeared very odd to him. Perhaps there was more to him than what meets the eye. So, for now, the only thing he could do was to watch over him, to see which path he decides to take and where it leads him.

 **To be continued….**

* * *

 **A/N:** **Yep. This story is a real-world OC insert into an AU Warframe universe. But I decided to do things a bit differently. Even though I enjoy the usual humour in such stories, I prefer character driven stories with a much darker plot. So, in order to make a serious OC insert, I created a character, sent him to another world and had him live the usual fantasy thingy of being a hero there for a while before making that crash down around him to traumatize him severly before sending him to another world. While this story will have its fair share of light hearted moments, I plan to make the overall plot quite dark.**

 **As for the other Tenno being like that and the operator concept used before the Second Dream happens, I know that Warframe canon makes them all emo teens/lolis but I had the concept of this story long before the Second Dream was released. And this is AU for a good reason. Besides, it can fit the darker tone of the story much better so there's that. Honestly, it's really hard to imagine a Grandmaster that is like a ten-year-old or so.**

 **Anyway, be sure to leave some constructive feedback for this story and feel free to ask questions. And I'd like to ask one thing: is 10K+ words too big for a single chapter?**


	4. The Knights of Pendragon

**Path of Honor: The Unending War.**

 **Disclaimer:** **I do not own Warframe or any other references made in this story.**

 **Hello readers. Primedblade141 here with the latest chapter. I'm really sorry about the very long delay. I had a bit of a writer's block and got quite lazy while halfway through writing this chapter. But I haven't lost any interest in writing this fic.**

 **Also, I'm thinking about rewriting and changing some stuff in the previous chapter. I feel it was a bit rushed up and some of things could use some changes since I kinda changed the initial idea of Ken's backstory before Path of Honor. I might even start that story later when I feel like it.**

 **On a side note, how are you all enjoying Nightwave? To me, this feels like quite a good addition by DE as it gives you some incentive to play every day thanks to the rewards. Gotta be honest, before this update came, only thing I did was just log in for the daily rewards and sometimes maybe do some trades or alerts before going back to play FGO (It's really grindy but doesn't matter if you manage to beat Kirei and get your waifu/bro) or do other stuff. But now Nightwave provides some worthwhile rewards for playing along with some lore as an added bonus. Although some of the challenges that require friends or clanmates can be annoying as I mostly prefer solo playing thanks to my crappy ISP.**

 **But the thing I'm really hyped about is melee 2.9 and the stuff it's gonna bring. No doubt I'll be putting priority in getting the stance for the two-handed Katana and the weapon itself.**

 **Anyway, here's the new chapter. Enjoy.**

 **Warning:** **This chapter contain some spoilers regarding the Second Dream, Apostasy Prologue and The Sacrifice.**

 **Chapter 3: The Knights of Pendragon.**

 _"...So shame on you! You Orokin, so perfect on the outside but you're rotted through and through!"_

-Archimedian Margulis.

 **Orokin Era**

 **Unknown year after the Old War.**

 **Location: Unknown.**

Wealth. Power. Dominance.

If one ever asks what makes an empire strong, then these three words would be what most people would have in mind.

 _Wealth_ of vast amount to last longer than others.

 _Power_ to crush all those that stand in the way.

 _Dominance_ over as many as possible.

And if we judge the Orokin using these three factors, there would be no doubt about the might of the huge empire they had created.

The vast wealth that the Orokin possessed was unlike any other. No empire in the history of mankind was blessed with even a small fraction of the wealth that the Orokin Empire had at their disposal. The entire Origin System, as they named it, belonged solely to them as entire planets were terraformed by them to suit their needs. Furthermore, being obsessed with luxury and beauty everything they had was adorned with gold from simple clothing to infantry weapons and even the massive constructs they created all across the system. Not only that, their technological advancement was unmatched in every sector whether medical science or weaponry. In short, they had everything that can be considered wealth and more.

As for power, the military might of the Orokin Empire had no equal. Their technological achievements meant that they were easily capable of producing advanced weapons that would easily give them an edge in any form of conflict. They had a vast army of genetically engineered slaves at their disposal, to be used for overwhelming whatever enemies they faced without any fear of loss since they were mere tools. They also had the Dax, elite soldiers who were technologically enhanced to have superior combat prowess and unconditionally loyal to their masters.

Nonetheless, their supremacy was challenged during the Old War by the _Sentients,_ a race of machines that were created by the Orokin as terraforming drones but went to war after achieving sentience due to the exposure of the Void. Due to the Sentients adaptability and resilience, the Orokin empire was on the verge of defeat. Their weapons and technology were useless against the sentients as the machines could easily take control of them.

Their defeat would have been certain if it wasn't for the Tenno. The once hated and feared void demons had became their instrument of victory. Trained in the old ways while being given biomechanical husks as conduits to channel their Void energy and charge into battle in, the Tenno were able to defeat the Sentients and thus the survival of the empire was ensured.

And so, it was now certain that no one had the strength to stand against the dominance of the Orokin empire. Everything in the Origin System, whether planet, resource or even people belonged to them. They could take whatever they want to feed their twisted need for excess luxury and riches. As far as people were concerned, they were nothing but tools to be used by them for whatever purpose they saw fit. Furthermore, even death would not put a stop to them as they have the means to prolong their lives through _Continuity,_ a process through which they would transfer their consciousness to another body and fill the hosts mind with torment and despair until there was nothing left, letting them fully take control of the body.

Therefore, it should come as no surprise that as far as the Orokin were concerned, they considered themselves gods. Gods in human flesh, clad in gold and the finest silk with immense power and wealth in their hands. They were superior to all in every aspect and even death itself was no threat to them.

And yet, was this truly something to be consider perfection, being free of any flaws?

But to a man like Ballas, it mattered very little.

It was he, Executor Ballas who swore an oath of absolute loyalty and servitude to the Orokin. It was Ballas who was responsible for the creation of the Tenno, the instrument that brought salvation for the Orokin. It was Ballas who proved his loyalty to the Honored Seven by sacrificing his love Margulis.

Margulis. That woman was a fool. While most Orokin feared and hated those demons of the void, she took the children as her own and even helped them control their powers. And like any caring mother, she sought to protect those devils to the very end, even going as far as disobeying the orders of her superiors.

Fool or not, he still loved her.

Ballas had tried his best to reason with her in order to stop her from traversing that path because he knew where she will end up if she didn't stop. But it proved to be useless. Her love for those devils was too strong.

And so it was, she had to be put to death for her defiance to the Orokin empire. Ballas himself had to preside over the sentencing of the one he loved. The memory of that moment still haunts the executor to this very day. All he could do was watch as seven hands were raised in favour of executing the brilliant Archimedian. He watched as the Jade light took away her life right before her and he was unable to do anything.

As he walked through the gold adorned halls, the only thing that the executor felt was hatred. It did not matter who or what the Orokin were, they will burn in the flames of his hate for taking away his loved one. He had already started taking the first steps towards achieving his retribution. One person, a celebrated Dax soldier was on his trail but he made sure to deal with him as he saw fit. No one will be allowed to stand in his way.

For now, he had another matter to address.

The doors behind Ballas closed automatically as he entered a new room. From the looks of it, it was clear that the place belonged to an Orokin elite. Another executor no less. Alongside the usual rich gold decoration and luxurious items, the most distinguishing feature that would catch most people's attention would be the various pieces of weapons and armour decorating the room. There was a good amount of them and those appeared to be very old, probably aging as far as the early times in old Earth that very few actually remember. Armor of knights and soldiers, swords, spears, maces, shields and firearms from various ages were all kept in glass displays, well preserved.

"So, you finally came, Ballas. I was starting to think that you wouldn't show up at all." A gruff voice stated as Ballas turned his attention to the person that just entered the room.

The man had a tall imposing figure. He had silver hair and appeared to be a bit more aged compared to Ballas. He was clad in regal looking red cloth with some gold decorations in some places. Alongside this man was a pair of small drones adorned with gold that were floating by his side.

If the usual Orokin appearance was the embodiment of wealth, luxury and symmetry then this man was the embodiment of superiority itself. Even someone like Ballas himself felt an aura of superiority radiating from him. It was somewhat intimidating but Ballas was not the type of person to lose his cool in such situations so he behaved normally as one would expect of him.

"You wished to speak to me, executor Dominic?"

"Yes. Please have a seat. Make yourself comfortable." The man known as Dominus replied as he motioned to a large table with few chairs surrounding it. There was also a bottle of wine and two glasses on the table. The two executors took their seats.

Dominic was an executor of the Orokin empire who was also of noble birth. He was also a scientist who led a science division that created special weapons. Despite being behind Ballas when it came to achievements, he now had the favour of the Honored seven somehow along with having influence over quite a number of important people. It was even more clear when it was announced recently that Dominic would be allocated more funds for his own research.

As for Dominic himself, Ballas was quite acquainted with him as the worked together few times. He was well known for being cunning and highly ambitious. Not only that, his field of expertise was mind manipulation. Dominic was responsible for a notable amount of innovations on that field, mainly for the purposes of mind control, indoctrination and even forms of mental torture.

Ballas also did a bit of digging on his fellow executor's past. Dominic was born in a high ranking Orokin noble family and he was considered by many to be prodigy from his childhood due to his academic achievements. He also had four older siblings, three brothers and a sister.

But there was something that Ballas found to be quite intriguing. Currently Dominic was the only surviving member of his family. His mother died of illness when Dominic was around two years old. What was really surprising was the fact that every other member of his family died an untimely death. One by one, his four siblings…just died. The cause of death of his other four elder siblings was still unknown even to this day (Ballas found no records whatsoever despite his influence) and his father was said to have committed suicide by shooting himself with his own gun for some reason.

Thus, Dominic was left as the sole heir to inherit everything his family possessed. The way things ended up that way made Ballas question. Was Dominic the one who was responsible for those deaths? After all, bloody internal conflict amongst those of noble blood was not something uncommon in the history of the world, let alone the Orokin era.

But if that was truly the case, then it would mean that the other executor had stained his hands with blood since the age of _ten_ since that was the age of Dominic when the first of his brothers died. Sure, murder was not something rare amongst the Orokin (in fact, there was a good amount of notable cases) but for someone to be able to get away with it from a young age just like that was something that Ballas could not fully comprehend even to this day.

Either way, the past of executor Dominic was shrouded by mystery comparable to the Void itself. But the past is past and Ballas had to deal with the present in order to make sure that the future is exactly how he envisioned.

"So, what do you think of my collection?" Dominic asked as he began pouring wine into a glass.

"Quite impressive." Ballas said, as he observed the relics on display. "Although it makes me wonder why a person like you have an interest for such relics of old." Indeed, it was quite strange as the owner was neither a warrior of any sort nor had any form of combat experience so Ballas really questioned his taste in such relics as he observed them.

"Well truth be told; these things actually have no extrinsic value whatsoever." Dominic answered as he finished pouring wine into one of the glasses and offered it to his fellow executor. "Care for a little drink?"

"No thanks." Ballas refused. He did not have much interest in drinking and besides there was the possibility that it was poisoned or worse.

"Suit yourself then." The other executor said as he began pouring wine on another glass for himself.

"Tell me, if they have no extrinsic value then, why do you keep them on display?" Ballas asked.

"Like I said, they don't have any extrinsic value. But they do remind me of the only thing that _truly_ matters." Dominic replied, getting Ballas' attention.

"And what that might be?" Ballas inquired.

"Power, Ballas." Dominic answered as he brought his glass in front of him and crushed it using his left hand. "Power. Power is the only thing that matters to me."

"I see…" Ballas was quite intrigued by the answer his fellow executor had given him. "Then why do you value power so much?" He asked, earning a chuckle from the senior executor.

"You of all people should know that power alone makes all the difference." Dominic began. "In this world, there is no such thing as right or wrong nor there is anything called good or evil. There is only those who have power and those who don't. There is only one law; those with power will rise above, those without will fall below. That is the supreme law of nature, one that is echoed time and time again in history."

"is that so? You know Dominic, I expected something good from you but this is no different than a typical greedy fool obsessed with power." Ballas said in an amused tone. To him, Dominic sounded like one of those poorly written evil villains in a story who were totally obsessed with power and served no purpose other than to be a representation of evil that some good protagonist is supposed to overcome.

"Oh, you think it is funny then tell me Ballas, why were you unable to protect Margulis from the Jade light?" Dominic said, causing Ballas to flinch. He had some nerve mentioning her name in front of him. It made him angry but he remained his composure.

"The answer is quite obvious. You lacked the power to do anything against it. So, it was natural for the weak to fall prey to those with more power." Dominic added. Ballas however let out a mere chuckle in amusement.

"So, all this talk about how valuable power is and yet you are _still an executor_. When compared with the power of the Honored seven, you are no different than me." Ballas stated but the other executor still looked confident.

"In my current state, I agree with you." Dominic spoke up. "But you should know that the Orokin are truly weak now. They cannot even fully harness the power that is almost within their grasp. So, it is natural that sooner or later, someone who does so will overthrow them."

"You know Dominic, you could face the Jade light for muttering such words." Ballas said. He couldn't fathom why someone Dominic was saying such a thing in front of him. Yet the man was calm and composed. Something just didn't feel right.

"So sayeth the man who is plotting with the enemies of the Orokin empire and committed murder to cover his tracks." Dominic replied calmly.

Ballas was shocked. He couldn't believe that Dominic actually knew about his plan. This could potentially end his life before his vengeance was complete unless he dealt with it. But now was not the time to lose his nerve and so he stayed calm.

"What are you talking about, Dominic?"

"I am not a fool Ballas. I know what you are planning." Dominic stated. "And I also know what you did to Isaah's father. That was rather nasty, killing his family before forcing him to kill his own son. As expected of the great executor Ballas."

"So, you know then. If that is the case then why haven't you told the Honored seven about this yet?" Ballas asked. But he had a hunch about what his reason for this could be.

"It is quite simple actually. I need you to do something for me. In exchange, I will not only keep my mouth shut but will also let you get away with carrying out your revenge on the Orokin empire." Dominic answered, just as he expected. But still, he was curious about what Dominic truly wanted.

"Then what is it do you want that you are willing to let the empire get destroyed?"

"Here…" Dominic said as he pulled out a piece of paper from his pocket. "I have already prepared a list of the things I need. Nothing that you cannot manage easily." He handed it over to Ballas, who got quite startled by what the other executor wanted.

"Those _devils_? What do think you can achieve by acquiring a few of them?" Ballas asked with keen interest. He was curious about what exactly Dominic was pursuing.

"I need them for my next step; _Ascension_." The other executor replied. "Ascension above all. Absolute power and supremacy that will dwarf the Orokin and whose influence will reach even _beyond the Void_."

Ballas was at a loss of words. Power that surpassed even the Orokin was something he hardly believed was achievable. But Dominus seemed like he was confident about whatever he was planning. Was there something about the Tenno that Ballas or Margulis did not know?

But whatever it was, it mattered very little. Since Domnic was willing to let him take his revenge on the Orokin, it didn't matter now if he handed over those things to the other executor. The only thing that mattered to Ballas now was vengeance upon the Orokin.

"Have it your way then." Ballas said as he slowly got up from his seat. The sign of defeat was clearly visible on his face. The great executor Ballas, who survived a good number of attempts on his life along with besting all his rivals now finally got outsmarted by another executor. "Remember to keep your end of the bargain and I will see to it that you get whatever you desire."

"However, if you don't…" Ballas added with a smirk as the sound of a switch being pressed was heard. He still had a trick up his sleeve, something he had prepared beforehand for scenarios such as these.

" _But you should know that the Orokin are truly weak now. Out of fear and the lack of true ambition, they cannot fully harness the power that is almost within their grasp. So, it is natural that sooner or later, someone who does so will overthrow them."_ The voice of Dominic was heard, repeating something that the executor said earlier. It only meant one thing; Ballas had been recording their conversation all this time.

"…then I will make sure that you will at least accompany me to the Jade light and to certain death."

"Hahaha well played my friend. As expected of executor Ballas." Dominic applauded. "I will be sure to keep that in mind."

Now Ballas too possessed leverage over Dominic. Even if the latter tried to destroy the recorder the former was carrying, it would be wasted effort as a copy was already wirelessly transferred to someplace else for Ballas to use. As such, if one of them was compromised, so was the other.

"Good. Then I believe we have a deal." Ballas said. Little did he know about the repercussions his actions that day was about to bring. Not just on himself…

* * *

 **Present time.**

 **Knights of Pendragon dojo.**

Tenno clan dojos were a thing of beauty. The clean halls coupled with Eastern themed decorations spoke volumes about the artistic elegance that the Tenno were capable of. The combination of tradition and sophistication created a marvellous sight to behold.

The dojo belonging to the Knights of Pendragon was no exception to this and Ken found himself quite amazed by it. It wasn't just the looks but also the sheer size of the Dojo that surprised him. There were numerous big rooms inside the dojo, with some of them being as large as stadiums that could easily house a very large amount of people. Currently Alice was showing him around and she had told him that the Dojo was well capable of housing a few thousand people quite comfortably.

As for inhabitants, he saw quite a bit of Tenno in the Dojo. There were many of them, both with and without Warframes. Some of them were armed and ready to head out to complete their missions across the system while many were spending their time idly chatting with their fellow clanmates. Some of the Tenno greeted them as they passed while a small amount of them were giving the two a strange look. Overall, they almost appeared like normal people, which made Ken quite surprised. He expected the Tenno to be stoic emotionless warriors but you know as they say, that truth was stranger than fiction and he IS in a place that he once considered a part of fiction.

Alice had shown him most of the Dojo, including the main hall, research labs where various research were carried out by the science division, the dining hall, observatory, mission control and more. They had to use teleporters in few places due to how big the Dojo was. They also visited the Hanger were the Landing Crafts and orbiters were kept and managed. Here, Ken found his own landing craft which was brought here when he was rescued and was able to see Ordis again, who was really glad that his assigned operator was all right.

Currently Alice was showing him the training grounds where the Tenno can practice their combat skills. The place had shooting ranges for Tenno to try their ranged weapons along with facilities for Tenno to spar with one another. There was also a duelling arena.

At one part of the training area, a Rhino Prime with a rather Knightly appearance was seen practicing with his Scindo Prime, a heavy axe weapon from the Orokin era. The bulky Warframe was mostly white in colour with some black parts and had a gold covering on the face. It had a white Nelumbo Syandana, a cape that had a black lotus symbol at the back and had Edo shoulder plates. Two others were seen observing the Rhino Prime train, one being a female Warframe with a helmet that had a single short horn and sizeable…busts that could be identified as a Saryn. It had a white colour Scheme with some pink lines and had a vanquished banner, a Grineer flag worn like a cape by some Tenno as trophy. She had a Destreza, a Tenno rapier, holstered at her side. The other person was a young boy who was no more than thirteen. He had brown hair and was wearing a blue shirt with a Lotus mark at the chest and black pants. Ken was quite curious to see a child in a place like this. He learnt that the Tenno clan dojos are situated in the void so this wasn't a place where ordinary people could live. Unless…

"I see that you are busy with training as always, Gaius." Alice called out to the Rhino Prime user, now known as Gaius. He stopped training and turned his attention to the Trinity along with the other two who were watching the Rhino Prime.

"Hey Alice! What brings you here?" Gaius asked.

"Just showing him around. He's new to our clan." Alice stated pointing towards Ken.

"Well if it isn't the famous ghoul slayer. I'm glad you decided to join our clan." Gaius said as he got out of his Warframe using transference. The form of a man in his thirties materialized in front of the Rhino Prime. He had a tall muscular build and had brown hair. He had similar clothes as Ken but he had two golden stars below his clan insignia. Alice and Ken also got out of their respective Warframes.

"Ken, this is Gaius. He is one of the members of the Holy circle and he was one of the Tenno who found you along with my brother." Alice introduced.

"Nice to meet you, Sir Gaius. My name is Ken." The Excalibur user introduced himself with a respectful bow.

"Whoa, no need to be so polite Ken. Just call me Gaius." The Rhino Prime user replied. The brown-haired boy approached Ken and was looking at him with eager eyes. However, the Saryn came and pulled him away.

"Hey, let go of me big sis!" The boy stated as he struggled to get free from the Saryn.

"Michael you should behave more politely with others." The Saryn's operator stated.

"It's all right. No need to be so strict on him. He's just a little kid." Ken said which caused her to let go of the boy. He bolted from her and hid behind Ken.

"This little guy right here is my son Michael." Gaius said as he introduced his son.

"Nice to meet ya!" Michael said with a goofy smile on his face.

"Nice to meet you too." Ken replied with a kind smile as he affectionately patted the boy on the head.

"And this here's my daughter, Rose." Gaius stated as he pointed towards the Saryn. Rose materialized in front of her Warframe. She was around Ken's age and had medium length lavender hair that came below her shoulders. Her clothing was more similar to Alice but had a grey coloration with some pink and her clan insignia lacked stars. But she didn't wear a beret and her uniform lacked the insignia of the medical corps.

"Nice to meet you, Ken. I'm Rose." Rose said as she closely inspected Ken. He found it funny because of how she was calling her little brother impolite for doing the same thing.

"Is there something wrong?" Ken asked.

"No. Nothing. It's just that I expected the Tenno who killed a hundred or so ghouls to be…. a bit older." Rose answered. If only she knew about what he had been through…

But there was still one thing on his mind.

"If you don't mind me asking, is Michael a Tenno?" The Operator of the Excalibur asked.

"If you consider having the power of the Void within you then yes." Alice answered. "But he is not old enough to be given a Warframe and take part in missions as per our current laws. He's still undergoing training to control his powers properly and use transference"

"I see." Ken muttered. That explained a lot.

"Soon, I'm gonna get my own Warframe and then I'll help everyone here." Michael said with enthusiasm.

"That's the spirit, son. I'll tell you what, when you are qualified, I'll give you a Rhino as your first Warframe." Gaius stated.

"No, I don't want a Rhino!" Michael pouted.

"Why not? It's a solid Warframe that provides great protection and offensive capabilities." Gaius asked.

"I want a Vauban because it suits me better." The boy replied.

"Oh, come on Michael. Dad knows what's best for you." Rose said.

Ken sighed. Seeing someone being excited about finally being able to enter the battlefield didn't feel right to him. He too in the past believed that there was glory to be achieved in the battlefield, fighting for a good cause and all.

But it was not until he saw first-hand the horrors that conflicts can cause when he realized the truth. No, he knew about it deep down but he was too ignorant to see it until that point. Wars were nothing more than the cauldron that brewed pain and suffering. Politics, difference, religion and hate would be the fire that creates and sustains it. A battlefield was closer to a living hell than a place where glory is achieved.

And yet, such catastrophic events were glorified by many. People would mostly talk about how glorious some wars were and how valiant the 'heroes' were instead of giving that much thought to the great devastation caused by them or focusing on putting a stop to pointless conflicts for that matter. It was as if wars were accepted as something natural and necessary. Like hundreds or even thousands of innocent people dying was something natural.

"Is something wrong? You don't look too well." Alice asked with concern visible on her tone.

"I'm fine. Nothing to worry about." Ken replied.

"Hey mister, how did you beat all those Grineer all by yourself?" Michael asked. Did he really needed to ask that?

"That's a good question. Even I wanna know how you pulled it off." Gaius added. Alice noticed that Ken was being a bit uncomfortable and was about to say something but the said Tenno spoke before she could do so.

"The usual Tenno way. With my arrows, kunai and blade. Had to kill the Ghouls at a distance most of the time as their blood causes paralysis." Ken answered calmly. They looked quite confused by his simple answer. If they were expecting him to narrate a tale of an epic battle between a single Excalibur and an army of Grineer or some shit like that, then they were bound to be disappointed now.

"That's not exactly what I had in mind." Rose stated in disbelief.

"If that's the case, then I want to ask you something." Gaius said as he approached Ken. "If you are willing, I want you to face my daughter in an honourable duel."

"Wait, what?!" Rose exclaimed with confusion and surprise in her face as Everyone seemed shocked by the request that the Veteran Tenno made.

"A duel?" Ken asked.

"That's right. A simple clash of steel. You don't exactly beat up Vor and a whole damn army of Grineer along with many units that no Tenno had previously encountered with gear like yours unless you got some real skills to back them up. I wanna see exactly what you are made of!" Gaius exclaimed as he pointed towards the Excalibur's Operator. Guess he didn't accept his answer.

"And besides, you would be put in a trial of combat sooner or later anyway so you might as well get it done now." The veteran Tenno added which made Ken give a confused look at Alice.

"Well every new Tenno joining our clan has to go through a combat evaluation to demonstrate his skills in order to gain proper operational clearance to participate missions." Alice explained.

"I see. But my sword got broken when fighting the Ghouls back on Earth." Ken stated.

"That's okay. If you need a weapon, then you can borrow one of mine." Gaius replied as he pointed to a rack to the side that had variety of melee weapons on it."

"So, will you accept or not?" The Rhino prime's Operator asked. Ken took a moment to think about it. While he didn't prefer taking part in unnecessary fights, this was the perfect opportunity to see just how capable a fellow Tenno was. Plus, some extra combat experience wouldn't hurt. As his mentor taught him, you could always learn a thing or two from a new experience and use it to improve yourself.

Not only that, if he didn't get operational clearance, he'd probably have to stay here in the dojo and would not be able to move around the system much which can be problematic for him since he was prepared to assess the situation more.

And besides, you would never know when you might end up fighting against your own allies.

As such, Ken was unwilling to back down from this challenge.

"Very well, then I accept your challenge." Ken said. Everyone except Gaius looked quite surprised by his answer.

"Ken, are you sure about this? You just recovered from your injuries." Alice told the Excalibur's operator.

"it's all right. I feel fine so a simple duel wouldn't hurt now, would it? And besides I need to see if cryosleep has made my skills rusty or not." Ken replied as he used transference to get inside his Warframe and made his way to the weapons rack.

"Dad, do you think this is a good idea?" Rose asked her father.

"What, are you afraid? If so then you can back out and I can take your place." Gaius replied with a smirk.

"Yeah Sis, are you scared of fighting him?" Michael teased.

"No, of course not!" Rose exclaimed; "It's just that it feels somewhat wrong."

"Don't worry. It's just a friendly duel. No harm comes from winning or losing. And besides, you're my daughter. I'm sure you will perform well regardless." Gaius said as he patted his daughter on her shoulder; "I know how good you are so that is why I am pitting you against Ken to test him out properly."

Meanwhile Ken found many types of weapons present on the racks, ranging from swords, staves, daggers, maces, axes and more. He began to search for a weapon that would suit him most. Soon enough, a weapon caught his interest.

It was a heavy greatsword that had a long slender blade which was large enough to cut down five people with a single swing along with a pointed tip that made it ideal for thrusting attacks as well if its wielder wanted. It also had a long grip and a rather strange looking guard. This was a _Galatine_ , a Tenno made greatsword which was named after the same blade that was wielded by Sir Gawain of the knights of the round table in Arthurian legend.

Ken picked up the Galatine and inspected it. The sword was a lot heavier than the Gram he previously used and had much more range thanks to its long blade. It seemed like a good choice for his fighting style. But still, he felt that it lacked something but regardless it will do just fine for now.

"You sure about using a Galatine? it's quite heavy compared to other weapons and it takes a bit of practice to master it properly." Gaius commented.

"No problem. I'm used to a weapon like this." Ken replied as he effortlessly swung the large weapon in front of him a few times as if to prove his point.

"All right then. If you are ready then let's head for the duelling area." Gaius said.

 **Few minutes later.**

A small crowd of Tenno had gathered in the duelling area as word spread of the duel between a member of the clan and the Tenno who supposedly fought off a hundred Grineer Ghouls on his own. So, it was natural for them to be interested in such a duel either out of curiosity of seeing just how much skilled this "ghoul slayer" was or just for some entertainment.

Ken and Rose were already on the arena along with Gaius and Alice. Said Arena was of square shape and had four columns at each end. Ken half expected the arena to be of circular shape but then again, the famed Colosseum built by the Romans was actually an Ellipse instead of a circle. He also noticed a large circular bell in one side of the arena which he guessed would be used to signify the start of the duel.

"So, is there any specific rules for this duel I need to know?" Ken inquired. Even during medieval times, such duels usually had specific rules that the combatants needed to follow. As such, he was almost certain that there were some rules to adhere to unless the Tenno weren't much honorable, something that seemed unlikely to him from what he knew so far.

"The rules are simple: the first one to disarm his opponent or deplete all his shields wins. Both of you will be given shields of equal strength and all mods are disabled for this fight along with Warframe abilities. But channelling is allowed" Gaius explained.

"I see." Ken stated. It looks like the outcome of this duel will solely rely on both of their combat skills and whatever decisions they take during the fight.

"Remember, Ken. Even if you lose it won't be much of a problem as you can always retry combat evaluation later when you feel like it. So, don't let this fight put too much pressure on you, okay?" Alice assured as she placed a hand on his Warframe's shoulder; "Just give your best shot and I'm sure you will do great."

"I'll try." The Excalibur user stated. At least he could have a second chance if things did not go in his favour. But then again, he was determined to try his best to win this one.

"Well if both of you are ready, then take up your positions." Gaius announced as he and Alice headed for the stands.

The two combatants took their respective positions on the arena and drew their weapons. Ken observed that Rose had decided to fight him using her Destreza. This meant that he'd have to mostly face quick thrusting attacks from his opponent which can be difficult to parry at times. But he had the advantage in range and power thanks to his Galatine.

"Don't even think about holding back, because I won't." Rose stated, pointing her rapier at Ken.

"Fair enough."

As his opponent got into stance, so did the Excalibur. Putting his left foot front and the right foot a bit back, Ken brought his sword over his right shoulder with him holding the grip with both hands. It was a simple yet flexible guarding stance that was good for both offense and defence.

The Saryn and the Excalibur were poised for battle as they patiently waited for the bell to be rung. As both of them waited, Ken made up his mind about what course of action he would take first. Since he never fought any Tenno before, he decided to start off defensively and analyse his opponent's capabilities before making his move. After all, an unknown opponent can prove to be trickier than a stronger but familiar one.

And then, it began. The sound of the bell being rung echoed, marking the start of the duel that would decide if the newcomer was skilled enough to be considered worthy of combat operations.

However, the two Warframes did not act immediately. Instead, they merely stared down each other, unmoving yet poised to attack at any moment.

Five seconds. Nothing happened

Ten seconds. They made no moves.

Fifteen seconds. The situation was still unchanged.

On the twentieth second, Rose made the first move. Deciding to act first, she charged head first at her opponent with her rapier ready to strike.

Rose executed two quick thrusts at speeds that would be hard for an average human being to track visually. But they missed as Ken sidestepped to avoid both of them. The Saryn instantly followed up with two more thrusts but Ken deflected them using his Galatine while backing away a little.

The Excalibur quickly retaliated by doing a horizontal swing which missed as Rose leapt back in time to put some distance between herself and her opponent.

She then charged at her opponent once more, doing three thrusts in quick succession, all of which failed to hit as her opponent blocked the first two and evaded the third. Ken followed up with a diagonal slash to his right with his greatsword.

However, Rose was ready for it as she quickly dodged to her right side to evade the incoming attack and instantly took advantage of the opening by executing a quick jab with her Destreza, the rapier grazing the Excalibur's chest and depleting a portion of his shields. The Saryn quickly pulled her rapier back within a fraction of a second and prepared to do a second strike…

CLANG

…only for her rapier to meet her opponent's blade as Ken quickly turned around to perform a horizontal sweep which she was able to block, albeit at the cost of being pushed back a decent distance due to the massive force behind the Excalibur's swing.

Once more, the battle resumed as the Saryn continued her relentless onslaught. Rose would attempt to wear down her opponent with sheer aggression while occasionally attempting to flank the Excalibur to land a hit. But all her attempts didn't seem to work much effectively as Ken kept up his defence, blocking or evading the barrage of thrusts and slashes coming from his opponent's rapier.

WHOOSH

Ken evaded a thrust to his left side that missed his shoulder for a few inches and retaliated with a horizontal swing with his Galatine. However, it missed as Rose quickly created a gap between them with some backflips.

"Not bad. Your defence is really something." Rose praised.

"Thanks. I could say the same for your skills as well." Ken replied.

By this point, Ken had to commend his opponent's fighting prowess. Not only did Rose possess good fencing skills and footwork, her tactic against him was quite praiseworthy as well. She focused on putting pressure on Ken through aggression in order to maintain her offensive momentum.

While it may seem reckless to some, in her position, it was actually quite a logical thing to do as blocking attacks from something as heavy as a Galatine was a difficult task especially when equipped with a light rapier. Even more so considering how strong and fast Warframes were compared to a regular human. In short, against Ken offense was the best defence the Saryn had.

For now, it was paying off as she had a slight edge by being able to deplete some of the Excalibur's shields (around 25% of total) without losing any of her own. If she kept up her momentum and successfully landed a few more hits occasionally then she could eventually secure her victory.

But even then, Ken was still confident in his chances of winning. Despite his opponent having an upper had at the moment, the Excalibur had secured something.

Something that can be considered a useful stepping stone in the path of victory.

A _mental victory_ over his opponent.

The battle resumed once more as Ken charged at his opponent with the tip of his blade pointed at his opponent. He did a thrust which Rose avoided by sidestepping and did two quick thrusts in retaliation, which also missed as Ken leapt back.

Attempting to regain her offensive momentum, Rose lunged at the Excalibur with her rapier ready and did three thrusts, which her opponent blocked. Ken retaliated with a horizontal sweep but Rose did a backflip to evade as she was ready for it. If her experience in this fight taught her anything, it was that Ken usually repelled her in this way if she tried to attack him from the front.

What she didn't anticipate was Ken suddenly transitioning into a quick lunging thrust shortly afterwards. The Excalibur charged towards her with great speed, his blade ready to impale. It happened so quickly she barely had much time to react.

The unpleasant screech of metal grinding against another metallic surface was heard as Rose attempted to block the incoming attack. But her hasty defence wasn't much effective as the Galatine still managed to graze her Warframe's waist, depleting some of her shields. Ken quickly pulled back his sword within a mere fraction of a second and spun around to do a diagonal upward slash. The Saryn leapt back instinctively but the tip of his opponent's blade still managed to slightly graze her chest, damaging more shields in the process.

Now, Rose was quite surprised at what just happened in the last five seconds. One moment she had the upper hand then It was as if his opponent suddenly increased his speed by quite a bit and turned the tables on her, making her lose around half of her total shield capacity.

But this was exactly what Ken wanted. He started off defensively with the intention of observing and understanding his opponent's capabilities. At the same time, he restrained himself from taking any risks just to be safe.

Which also had another purpose: to make his unaware of the true extent of his own skills. Even if it meant giving Rose a slight advantage early on, it still played in his favour because of the fact that she knew less about him. This lack of information in turn allowed him to find an opening to exploit.

After all, this was exactly what his mentor had taught him. At first glance, it may look like that swordsmanship was all about strength, instinct and finesse. But there was much more that most people wouldn't notice easily. Factors such as observation, timing of actions, weapon dimensions, terrain, relative positioning etc can also play a huge part in ensuring victory in a fight.

In other words, swordsmanship wasn't all about strength and skills to win. To Ken, it was something that also required strategy like a game of chess, albeit a fast paced, complex and deadly one where every single action must count, every factor must be considered and every mistake has the risk of severe consequences.

And now that his initial strategy using misinformation gave him an advantage he needed, it was time for his next course of action: landing the decisive blow to secure victory.

Launching himself in the air, Ken executed a flipping smash aimed at his opponent. The Saryn rolled to the side as the Excalibur came crashing down on her previous position with a loud thud, leaving some cracks on the floor. Rose quickly leapt back as her opponent followed up with a fast swing of his greatsword.

Wasting no time, Ken dashed at the Saryn and began his offensive. Now, Rose faced an onslaught of swings from his opponent and was forced to be on the defensive. She couldn't find a way to break his opponent's momentum easily due to the large size and weight of his weapon compared to hers. It didn't help much either as her opponent was now acting fast and aggressive.

If anything, she needed to find an opening. And this was the very same thing Ken was also looking for. His current strategy was to put pressure on the Saryn until she gave an exploitable opening or break down her defence eventually.

Rose sidestepped to her left to avoid a thrust from the Excalibur's Galatine and leapt back to avoid two horizontal swings in quick succession. She then charged head on at her opponent with her Destreza ready.

Ken was prepared to counter her offensive but just before the Saryn was in his striking range, she bullet jumped, quickly propelling herself forward and landing behind her opponent. Finding the Excalibur's exposed back, she attempted to take advantage of the opportunity…

CLANG

…Only for her rapier to meet the flat metal surface of the Galatine as Ken brought the greatsword parallel to his back to block. Rose quickly leapt back as Ken followed up with a swing as he turned around.

The Excalibur then launched himself in the air and attempted to impale his opponent from above. Rose evaded to her side as Ken stabbed the floor with great force.

But it now appeared that his Galatine was stuck and presented an opportunity for his opponent to strike. The Saryn wasted no time as she lunged at the Excalibur, ready to strike. Just as she almost reached striking range...

"..!"

With a quick motion, Ken pulled his greatsword out and instantly performed a fast sweep that struck Rose square in her Warframe's chest. The force of the impact knocked her off her feet and sent her flying a good distance, depleting a good chunk of her shields.

This was due to a trick Ken learnt (Read: fell for a few times) from his mentor. He feigned his sword getting stuck so that his opponent thought that it was an opening, which the Saryn was desperately looking for. As a result, he was able to bring his opponent to a favourable position for him to strike.

And since it worked, Rose now had a small portion of shields left while he still had a good amount of his. Now all he needed to win was another hit.

Rose recovered and got back up on her feet. Now she was at a huge disadvantage due to her own misjudgement of the opponent's skill and tactics.

But nevertheless, she still had some fun in this fight and it didn't matter much to her whether if she won or lost. It wasn't very often that she'd find someone of such skill, let alone not from higher rank. If anything, she didn't want to give up and was still willing to go through with this till the very end. After all, she was given the responsibility of evaluating Ken's skill in combat.

So, she pulled herself back together and prepared her rapier. In response, Ken prepared his Galatine as the two Tenno circled each other while having their focus fixed on one another. It was like seeing two lions facing off against each other in a violent territorial struggle which happens often in their wild habitat.

And then, both of them charged at each other.

Ken was now ready for anything the Saryn could throw at him, whether it was a head on attack or a flanking manoeuvre using bullet jump. He prepared his sword just as they were about to reach striking range…

CLANG

What happened next caught him off guard. He realized a second ago that Rose was attempting to attack him head on, seeing her motions and was prepared to act accordingly.

What he didn't expect was his swing to be parried with great force that seemed impossible from such a lightweight weapon. It almost threw him off balance.

Before Ken could recover, he was struck twice in the chest by her opponent's Destreza, losing a good portion of his own shields. The Saryn attempted to follow up with a swing but Ken leapt back to evade, putting some distance between them.

The Excalibur was quite surprised at the sudden turn of events. Being parried by a rapier like that was the last thing he expected but then he remembered seeing the Destreza glow with energy just before he got repelled.

As such, it didn't take long for Ken to realize what happened: The Saryn channelled her energy to multiply her strength to counter him. Until that point, he didn't know that channelling could also be used something other than reinforcing the weapon's capabilities.

For this, they were now in equal footing in terms of shields. So, one mistake could result in his own defeat.

The battle resumed as the Saryn went on the offensive, launching a volley of quick jabs at her opponent. Ken responded by a combination of blocking and evasion. As Rose attempted a channelled swing with her weapon, Ken stepped back a little to evade and retaliated with two fast swings, both of which Rose nimbly dodged and quickly followed up by lunging forward with her Destreza ready to jab. Ken was prepared for it and use his Galatine to block…

"..!"

He recoiled in pain as the Saryn punched him hard in the gut while he was blocking her attack. Stunning her opponent, Rose acted instantly, attempting to strike the Excalibur. In a swift motion, she thrusted her rapier forward, its tip aimed at her opponent's chest.

Victory was almost within her grasp as her weapon was closing on its target.

But there was one little miscalculation she made.

It was underestimating her opponent's recovery speed.

CLANG

Just as the tip of the Destreza was inches away from its intended target, Ken parried it with great force, channelling his own energy into the swing. The sheer force of the swing caused the Saryn to lose her grip on her weapon, sending the lightweight rapier flying off to the side and landing a few meters from her. Losing her balance, she fell to the floor as Ken quickly brought his blade close to her neck.

The battle was decided. Ken won by disarming his opponent.

Pulling away his Galatine, Ken offered Rose a hand and pulled her up.

"Well fought Rose. I must admit, you almost had me there." Ken complemented the Saryn's operator as they shook hands. Since it was a friendly duel between two fellow knights, it was natural to show some courtesy. Plus, she deserved appreciation as she was quite close to victory. If she wasn't fully aware of how quickly Ken could recover from being stunned or if the latter reacted even a second late then the outcome would have been different.

"Thanks." Rose replied; "You got some amazing skills. If you don't mind, we could do some missions together sometimes."

While it was not apparent, her words made Ken think. Doing missions…. with an ally. Having someone fighting beside you always helped and his previous experience as a knight told him the same thing.

But all his comrades that had fought beside him were dead. Not only did they swear to follow him till the very end, they were the few good friends he had.

And they were all dead.

Because of his own actions.

"That was awesome!" Ken was cut off from his thoughts when Michael rushed over to him in excitement. Alice and Gaius had also come to the arena.

"So, do I pass or not?" Ken asked.

"Of course, you pass" Gaius said as he patted Ken on the shoulder; "That was a good fight, Kid. I must say, you have the makings of a fine Knight."

' _A knight? What a joke. I have been given the title of a knight in the past but I'm nothing more than a murderer.'_ Ken thought. The things he did as a 'knight' could no way be considered something to be proud of. It was utterly disgusting to him and he felt no different than any of the infamous _war criminals_ back in his world. If only he wasn't ignorant enough and actually thought about the true motives behind his orders instead of being blinded by his so-called sense of purpose and duty.

Perhaps that was the sad reality of being a soldier. You can end up being nothing more than pawns at the hand of those that command you. If your superiors are good then you actually do something good. If not then a soldier ends up being used as a tool for evil. Even then, those pulling the strings could still manage to cover up their crimes and say it's for the greater good or some shit as long as they were more powerful and influential compared to others.

 _Then what are the Tenno? Were they truly warriors fighting for the sake of justice or mere tools for someone else to use?_

"Impressive, Ken. Who would have thought that you were that skilled with a greatsword?" Alice complimented.

"Thanks." Ken replied. The only reason as to why he had such skill was because of the training his mentor had made him undergo.

His mentor was a knight who was well known for his skill with the greatsword. He put Ken through harsh training regimens every single day to teach him the way of wielding a sword. Ken remembered how tough it was and how much he struggled at first.

But since he was determined to become stronger and didn't back down despite going through a lot, he was able to acquire the skills he now possessed. Some even claimed that he was almost as skilled as his mentor.

 _But in the end, did all that really matter?_

"Superb. Simply magnificent." A male voice announced, making all those present instantly become silent upon hearing him. Ken turned his attention to the speaker and found an _Excalibur Prime_ approaching.

The Warframe appeared different from a regular Excalibur visually as it possessed a somewhat void key shaped ornament on its helmet along with some blade like decorations on its elbows. It was coloured mostly white and grey with some blue and had the Misa Prime syandana. Not only that, it also had Edo Prime decorative body Armor.

But the thing that caught the young Tenno's attention most was his clan insignia on the shoulder. Like Alice it had three golden stars below it, meaning that he too was of high rank, probably having a special position.

"That was a fine display of swordsmanship." The Excalibur Primes' operator stated as Alice went over to him.

"Arthur where the hell have you been?" Alice said as the Operator in question got out of his Warframe. He had quite a resemblance to the healer, also possessing blonde hair and emerald eyes along with having the same height as her. If anything, he looked like the male version of Alice which meant that he was her twin brother.

' _Arthur? What the hell is wrong with this place? Don't tell me he's gonna eventually bang his own sister and have a bastard son who will betray him.'_ Ken thought, the Arthurian mythology coming to his mind due to the resemblance in name and the parallels he has seen in the clan.

"I'm really sorry, sister. I was caught up in some important work that I was assigned to." Arthur replied as he then turned his attention to Ken.

"So, the famous ghoul slayer has decided to join our clan." Arthur said as he walked up to the young Tenno who got out of his Warframe.

"I'm Arthur, knight of the Holy Circle and the _tactician_ of this clan." Arthur introduced himself.

"My name is Ken. I must thank you for coming to my aid back on Earth."

"No need to thank me. I was merely fulfilling my responsibility towards a fellow Tenno." Arthur replied.

"So then, what do you think of our clan, ghoul slayer?" The Tactician inquired. Ken however felt a bit irritated being addressed by such a title.

"Well I don't know what to expect since I can't seem to remember many things but I feel as though there is an uncanny resemblance of this clan to a certain legend on old Earth. But other than that, everything feels fine so far." Ken answered.

"Hmm interesting. So, you know about that myth then, ghoul slayer. One of the founders of this clan was a fan of the tale of the Knights of the Round and he loved the concept of an order of knights dedicated to upholding justice and protecting the weak. For this, he organized the structure of the clan somewhat based on it with some obvious differences." Arthur explained.

"And please, stop calling me ghoul slayer." Ken requested.

"All right then." The tactician replied.

"Anyways, that was some fine performance you showed against Rose, Ken." Arthur said.

"Thanks. I appreciate it."

"But, if you don't mind, I'd like to face you in a duel to experience your skills myself first hand." The Tactician stated, something that took everyone by surprise.

"Wait. Just wait. What the hell do you think you are doing challenging him out of the blue like that?!" Alice exclaimed in disbelief.

"So what? It's his decision and not yours. Stop acting like his mom or something." Arthur replied with a smirk.

"Why you little prick! What do you want? He just regained consciousness few hours ago and already proved himself in combat a while ago."

As the two twins argued, Ken couldn't help but smile. It was apparent that those two were quite fond of each other. He also pondered on whether he should accept the challenge or not. As it was obvious that Arthur was of higher rank than Gaius, he was quite curious to see how much skilled the tactician was. Plus, a victory or loss here mattered very little to him as he neither wished for fame nor he cared about his so-called reputation. After all, he had already secured his goal of being able to participate in missions.

As such, it was clear what his decision would be.

"I accept your challenge." Ken said much to everyone's shock.

"You can't be serious." Alice stated. She was quite surprised to see him accept the challenge so quickly. But her brother didn't seem to be surprised at all. Rather it was like he expected this.

"Good. Then let's have some fun, shall we?" Arthur said as the two got back into their respective Warframes and took their positions in the arena.

Ken prepared his Galatine as the Tactician pulled out a pair of elegant swords with the mark of the Lotus on both of them. These were the _Dex Dakra_ , a modified version of the _Dakra Prime_ sword that was made by the Lotus herself.

Seeing the weapons his opponent was wielding, Ken thought about how he should approach this engagement. He had a huge advantage in reach and weight due to the sheer size of his weapon and for this it would be quite hard for his opponent to properly defend himself from his attacks.

Then again, his opponent also had the advantage in speed and flexibility due to his smaller weapon. Plus, the Dex Dakras gave Arthur a little more defensive options compared to something like a rapier. Even more so if channelling is taken into account

Moreover, he wasn't exactly sure how skilled Arthur was. For some reason, he felt like he should be more careful in this fight. After all his current opponent was a knight of the Holy Circle.

As such, he made up his mind to start off defensively like last time. Only this time, he shall be far more cautious.

From the side-lines, Alice and the others watched as the two Tenno took position, eager to see how it goes. She had to admit, she was quite surprised when Ken won against Rose due to his skilful display swordsmanship. But…

"Do you think he will win? Against your brother I mean." She was cut off from her thoughts when Rose spoke up.

However, the healer remained silent and only focused her attention on the duel that was about to begin.

Back at the arena, the two Tenno were poised for their confrontation, their blades ready to clash with one another as they waited patiently for the bell to start the duel. Their focus was on each other and nothing else.

No sooner was the sound of the bell heard than Arthur did something that Ken never anticipated from his opponent; He charged at him head on.

Acting quickly, Ken parried two swings from his opponent and instantly followed up with a horizontal swing that Arthur leapt over while attempting an overhead slash with both of his blades. However, it missed as the Excalibur quickly got out of the way a second before the strike.

Wasting no time, the Excalibur Prime lunged at his opponent with great speed, attempting to attack Ken from his flank…

CLANG

…which failed as Ken countered it with a mighty swing of the Galatine. Arthur was able to block but was pushed back a considerable distance, with him stabbing the floor with both his blades to maintain stable footing.

Determined to break down his opponent's defence, Ken quickly executed a lunging thrust which the Excalibur Prime evaded to the side. Arthur retaliated by executing a thrusting attack with his left hand Dex Dakra which narrowly missed the Excalibur's head for a mere few inches as Ken reacted quickly and instantly followed it up with an upward swing which the tactician dodged by leaping back a few feet.

Ken charged at Arthur and did a horizontal swing but the Excalibur Prime rolled under it and attempted to strike his back with both blades. Instead they were met with the surface of the Galatine as the Excalibur brought his sword parallel to his back to block and Arthur had to leap back as his opponent instantly followed up with a quick horizontal sweep while turning around.

Once more the Tactician charged at his opponent as Ken quickly blocked two strikes with his Galatine. However, Arthur followed up his attack with a powerful kick that Ken was able to block with his sword but it pushed him back a good distance from his opponent.

If the brief exchange of blows, which happened within a time period less than twenty seconds, taught Ken anything, it was the fact that Arthur possessed incredible agility. Just keeping up with the tactician till that point felt quite difficult even with his skill. If he wasn't totally focused right from the start or reacted even a fraction of a second late, he would have surely gotten hit.

"Your skill with the greatsword is most impressive. Not only are you quite agile when wielding such a weapon but you do well to cover up all your blind spots." Arthur praised. Ken was taught by his mentor that when wielding a heavy greatsword, the body had to be moved due to momentum which can leave some obvious openings. As such, he was trained to identify those openings and counter opponents trying to exploit them.

"But…" Arthur continued as he prepared his Dex Dakras. "…even if you don't give an opening…."

In the blink of an eye, the tactician closed the gap between them and was at his left flank with both his swords ready to strike.

"…. I'll just have to force one myself!" Ken widened his eyes in shock and before he could even do anything, he was struck on his right shoulder by both blades, losing a portion of his shields. The Excalibur retaliated with a diagonal slash but Arthur dodged by leaping back and put a good distance between him and his opponent.

The two Tenno then charged at each other with great speed. The sound of blades clashing against one another echoed again and again as Ken quickly found himself on the defensive. He kept blocking an onslaught of strikes from the Excalibur Prime. Due to his speed and skill, Arthur was able to unload a barrage of attacks in quick succession and reposition when his opponent tried to retaliate before quickly re-engaging from a different angle that was more favourable to him.

And such tactic was putting quite a bit of pressure on the Excalibur. Blocking his opponents fast and aggressive attacks were quite a chore and he even got struck a few times, losing some shields in the process. All the while he couldn't even land a single hit.

At the rate things were going, Ken knew that he couldn't keep this up for much longer. As such, he needed to land a decisive blow soon if he had any chance of turning this around.

CLANG

He quickly repelled an attack coming from his left side and retaliated by doing three fast diagonal swings with his Galatine, all of which the tactician dodged easily by sidestepping. The Excalibur quickly followed up with a horizontal sweep but Arthur evaded it by performing some backflips, creating a distance between them.

However, this was exactly what Ken wanted as Arthur ended up positioning himself in the corner of the arena with a column to his back. Now, the Excalibur Prime had little room to manoeuvre as Ken instantly executed a lunging thrust with a great burst of speed, intending to take advantage of this opportunity. Even if his opponent tried to evade, he could only do so by moving to his sides which will allow Ken to strike him with his follow up attack.

Just as the Excalibur was close to his opponent, Arthur surprised Ken by charging head on and leaping _on_ his blade. Before Ken could react, the Excalibur Prime had hopped over his opponent, landing behind him and quickly performing a sweeping kick that knocked Ken off his feet.

Now, Ken suddenly found himself lying on his back with two swords to his neck which belonged to his opponent.

This time, he had lost. His opponent was faster and far more skilled than him. As a result, he was defeated before he could even land a single hit.

But it didn't matter to him as he got a glimpse of what one of the highest-ranking members of the clan was capable of. So, in a way it can be considered as a win for him too. An intrinsic one at least.

Putting away his swords, Arthur offered Ken a hand which he took and pulled him back on his feet.

"Not bad at all. You got some really good skill with the blade and it's not often that I find a warrior who also uses his head in battle rather than relying on strength alone." The Tactician stated which made Ken realize more clearly why he had lost so badly: Arthur was well aware of his mindset in battle.

It made more sense as the thought about what happened. Arthur started off aggressively, which not only put pressure on him that preventing him from properly observing and analysing his opponents combat skills, it also exposed his own capabilities to the tactician. Due to how Ken reacted upon being pressurized, it gave Arthur a chance to devise a way to defeat him.

In other words, it was checkmate for him right from the start.

"You have my thanks." Ken replied respectfully. However, in his mind Ken had other thoughts. He somewhat felt like he should be careful of Arthur. It wasn't like he was starting to hate him or anything, it was just that the tacticians calm and analytical personality was

"But if you want be a knight of the Holy Circle, combat skill and standard battle achievements alone won't be enough." Arthur said.

"I figured that much and I don't plan on doing so either." Ken stated as Alice and Gaius approached.

"Impressive, Kid. You sure know how to put up a good fight." Gaius said as he patted the Excalibur on the back.

"Yeah you did really well." Alice said. "I didn't think you would last this long against Arthur."

"Well now that you showed us what you are capable of, I, Arthur as the tactician and a Knight of the Holy Circle hereby welcome you to our clan." Arthur said. "I expect great things from you."

The last part made the young Tenno feel a bit uneasy. He never felt good when people put too much hope on him. And considering what occurred the last time that happened…

"Sorry to say this, but I believe you are thinking too highly of me." Ken stated. Before the others could say anything, Alice grabbed him by the hand.

"Since I still haven't finished showing Ken around we'll be taking our leave from here then." Alice stated. Arthur wanted to say something but stopped the Trinity gave the Excalibur Prime what could be _assumed_ to be a death stare as her Warframe lacked any form of facial features.

Perhaps it was the bond between the siblings or the tactician possessed the capability of being able to read the faces of Tenno within a Warframe? Regardless, Arthur seemed to understand his sister.

"All right, then I guess I will see you around Ken." Arthur stated.

"Come on, I still have lots of things to show you." Alice said as she headed out of the training area, dragging Ken along with her.

"One more thing, Ken." Arthur said which caused both of them to stop and turn their attention to the Excalibur Prime.

"If you try to do anything _funny_ with my sister…" Arthur said as he pointed one of his swords at the Excalibur. "…I'll have your head. Mark my words."

"I'll…keep that in mind." Ken said as he and Alice left the training grounds.

Unbeknownst to all of them, a Warframe was watching everything from a distance the whole time.

 **Moments later…**

"Well, what do you think?" Alice asked.

"I think it's really great." Ken said.

Currently, Alice was showing Ken his quarters. It was a moderately sized room with a single bed and had a small bathroom as well. It wasn't anything grand but the arrangements were more than enough for him.

Getting out of his Warframe, Ken sat down on his bed and got a feel for it. He found it soft and quite comfortable compared to what he was usually used to. At least now he had someplace to get some sleep other than the floor of his orbiter.

"I'm glad you like it." Alice said as she got out of her Warframe and sat down beside the other Tenno. "And if you ever think of make some modifications to your room then you can always do so using the dojo's construction drones. But you need to pay a credit tax to the clan vault to use that service."

"No need. It's more than enough for me." Ken said. In his mind, he had some questions regarding the construction drones but decided to put them on hold as He knew that some people can feel irritated if asked too many questions.

"Now if you don't mind, I want to ask you something." The healer stated.

"All right."

"You know, at the training grounds I couldn't help but notice that you looked like something was really bothering you a lot. And you looked really pale when my brother welcomed you."

Ken remained silent and pondered on whether or not he should tell her about it. He wasn't exactly the type of person that trusted others very easily.

"It's okay if you don't feel like sharing some things with me and I am truly sorry if I have hurt you in any way. We have only been acquainted for like a few hours so and I have no right to ask you such questions. I just…felt worried." She said.

"No. You don't have to apologise." Ken said with a faint smile. "I should be the one apologising for making you worry for no reason. It's just…. I really hate it when people expect too much from me even though I'm not really that good."

"Why do you even feel that way? I think you are a good example of what a knight should be." The healer said. Ken however frowned upon hearing her words.

"A good example of a knight? That's just ridiculous. If a Knight is supposed to protect others then I am no doubt a failure because I couldn't even protect the people I was supposed to protect." He spoke looking down on the floor, sadness evident in his tone; "And those who followed me? They are all dead. All because of me."

Alice was saddened upon hearing his words. She was reminded of her own experience during the Old War. Despite the advantage the Tenno held against the Sentients, there was still a good number of casualties on the Tenno side.

The Orokin had used them like disposable tools and so the Tenno had none but each other to rely on. The bonds between them that was forged by the hardships of the war made them really close, like a family of sorts.

Alice remembered all those friends and comrades that fought besides her but couldn't make it out alive. They always had each other's backs and even when all was seemed lost, her comrades gave her the strength she needed to pull through and survive.

As such, she knew very well how her new clanmate felt.

Before Ken could say anything, he found himself gently pressed against the medical officers' chest as Alice had wrapped her arms around him and pulled him into a caring embrace. He was quite surprised by her action but it felt warm and soothing, like a blanket that protected one from the chilling cold.

"It's really hard, isn't it? Losing those you care about right before your own eyes." Alice muttered.

"Yeah. Even worse when you know that it was all your fault." Ken said.

"You know, back in the days of the Old War, I lost many of my friends. As a healer, I was supposed to protect them from harm but I couldn't do anything for them. Never a day goes by where I don't remember their faces."

Upon hearing her words, Ken really felt sorry about the medical officer. Truth be told, he felt as if both of them weren't much different from each other considering what they had to go through.

"But even then…" Alice continued as she slowly released Ken from her embrace. "…I don't let the past hold me down. That's why I do my best every day to help as many as I can. For the sake of those that I have failed, I press on forward so that their deaths are not in vain."

"I see. So, you choose to help others to honor your friends. That's really noble of you." Ken muttered.

"Ken, I want you to listen closely. You may have failed to save those you cared for but that does not mean it's the end for you. Try to move on because if you let your past torment you, you are sure to repeat what happened before." Alice said.

"Instead, you should try to be someone your fallen comrades would be proud of. I don't know who you were in the past but I think you can be a really great Tenno if you give your best efforts starting from now on." Alice stated confidently with a smile.

"I'll…try." Ken muttered.

"Good. In the meantime..." Alice said as she quickly grabbed her clanmates cheeks and Ken suddenly found a pair of white gloved hands caressing his face, much to his embarrassment.

"Stop being so gloomy and smile more often. Being positive is good for your health you know." Alice said in a teasing tone.

"Okay."

"All right. I guess I'll be off then." Alice said as she got up. Using transference to assume control of her Warframe, she then headed outside.

"Wait." She stopped upon hearing Ken speak up and turned her attention towards the other Tenno.

"Thank you for everything you did to help me. I really appreciate it." Ken stated.

"No need to thank me. I'm just doing my part as a member of the medical corps and a friend." Alice replied. "And if you ever need someone to talk to, I'd always be there for you. After all we're friends, right?"

"Yeah. After all you have done for me, it would be wrong for me to not consider you a friend." Ken said.

"Great. I'll see you around then." Alice said. With that, she left his room, the automatic doors closing behind her.

Now Ken was left alone in his quarters with his only company being his Excalibur. The Warframe stood in a corner, silent and stiff. It was almost eerie, as one may get the impression that the Warframe was silently watching over its Operator.

Said Operator was currently sitting on his bed in deep thought. He was thinking about what Alice had told him and what he should do from that point onwards.

The very thought of returning _home_ was abandoned by him long ago. Now, it felt even more pointless as he believed that his family, or anyone else he used to know for that matter, would accept him for what he has become: a cold-blooded killer.

On top of that, there was no guarantee that the people he knew were alive anymore. Who knows how long he was in cryosleep. Perhaps hundreds, maybe thousands of years have passed during that time. Even more so if the ship he was in was in constant movement, taking time dilation into account.

Plus, there was the possibility that his people may have been wiped out on _that_ night, when he remembered the sky becoming crimson red, like being covered by a thick veil of blood. The Tenno couldn't remember anything else but he could tell that it wasn't anything good.

And there was also the possibility that the people in his world had brought upon their own destruction. He remembered how the state of his world was in his time: human rights violations here, terrorism there. Meanwhile, civil war was raging on somewhere else taking the lives of countless people or forcing them to leave their homelands in hopes of finding a shelter.

Worse part was world leaders and politicians not doing anything other than empty promises, condemning the situation or pointless debating with other leaders with different views. Only time they did something was when they could fulfil their own agendas. It was like incompetent people were now well capable of taking up the important positions that should only be given to people more responsible and capable of that role.

And bad leaders meant one thing: even worse people rallied behind their backs, supporting them. Use of fallacy and manipulating public emotions along with other means ensured that such politicians always had supporters who would blindly believe them like some perfect saints sent by God or God himself for that matter.

So, Ken wouldn't be surprised at all if he learnt that humans in his world wiped themselves out, whether through a world war or any other stupid and irrational way.

So now, the only option Ken had was to walk in a new path. A new life with a new purpose. A purpose was something that one should have in order to live, something that he believed in. And he needed a purpose to devote himself to. Otherwise, his existence was meaningless.

Right now, he was a Tenno amongst many other Tenno caught up in a war raging across the solar system. In the world he was in earlier, he was supposed to be saviour but he ended up unknowingly causing more harm to countless people.

But now he was just a soldier. Even though he didn't like killing or any other form of unnecessary violence, he didn't know any other way that he could do any good other than wielding his sword and killing his enemies. To him, it seemed to be the _only_ thing he knew he could do best.

Ken looked at his Warframe, more specifically the Galatine attached to its back and smirked. Maybe this was what Alice meant with his name being meaningful. Maybe he was no different than his sword, having only one purpose: to kill.

And so, the Tenno decided what path he shall take. He won't take up the mantle of a hero of salvation like he tried to do earlier. Instead, he will strike down those who attempt to take innocent lives. Simply kill them before they kill others. This shall be his new purpose for existing.

He shall become nothing more than a blade.

But for now, he had to put those thoughts on hold as he felt a bit tired. After all, he had participated in two back to back duels so it was supposed to be natural. Although, it was a bit strange as he did not feel that much fatigue compared to what he should when he was in his Warframe. Perhaps it was one of its special functions? Plus, he felt a little bit of pain on his back.

Thus, he laid down on his back, deciding to take a nap before starting anew. From tomorrow, or whatever was applicable for those living in a large space station or something in who knows where, he would begin from scratch once more. This time to redeem himself.

"You know, I'd forget about it if I were you. I'm myself and not your damned empty vessel to insert yourself in this world. Either way, it doesn't matter much as you're going to regret it soon anyway." Ken spoke, to nobody visible in particular.

 **Unknown location.**

A squad of Tenno were storming a Corpus outpost on some frigid landscape, cutting down or gunning any opposition that stood on their way. The Corpus sent various types of MOA and Ospreys into the fray as the crewmen at the back rained down streaks of plasma from their various weapons at the advancing enemies in order to supress them. Even against such powerful foes, the Corpus fought hard, either motivated by the thought of rewards or knowing that it was the only way for them to survive.

Elsewhere, a Contingent of Grineer troops were advancing towards a rebel stronghold as the rebels fight on against the onslaught of cloned soldiers. The area was lit up by flames and tracer fire as explosions from mortars and rockets felled Grinner and rebels alike. For both sides, defeat was not an option as the cost of failure was just too great. And so, they fought on with the hope of being able to grasp victory.

Meanwhile, in another part of the Origin system, a large-scale battle for domination was going on in space between fleets of Grineer Galleons and Corpus battleships. It was chaos all around as large calibre cannon rounds crashed upon energy shields of Corpus spacecraft as they retaliated by firing their powerful energy weapons, sending a stream of blue energy at their targets. Smaller fighter craft belonging to both sides engaged in combat as blinding light from exploding spacecraft lit up the empty darkness of space from time to time. Such clash for territory between the two factions have now become a common occurrence.

In another location, colonists were fleeing in terror as deformed creatures gave chase. Some of the more capable colonists fought back with the weapons they had in order to hold the creatures back just long enough for the others to escape. The incoming wave of twisted flesh was met with a hail of bullets, shrapnel or streams of flame projected from the flamethrowers the colonists had. Many of the creatures fell but there was no end to them. Soon the infested pounced upon the unfortunate defenders as the colonists were slowly being overrun.

This was a testament of exactly what kind of hell the Origin system had become and was the scenery that was being shown in the cluster of hi tech displays in that room.

The sole inhabitant of that room silently watched on with a satisfied expression on his face. It was chaotic as if hell itself had manifested in the Origin System. But to this man, _former_ Executor Dominic, it was something else. To him it was just nature. War was nothing more than the crucible that decided who gets to move forward in the path of superiority and those who will fall below in weakness and defeat. If years of human history taught him anything, it was this lesson, which he regarded as a _Golden Rule_ of life.

With a soft hissing noise, the automatic doors behind Dominic opened as another person entered the room. This person was a male who appeared to be in his sixties and had messy black hair.

"Sir, shouldn't we be making our move on the enemy anytime soon? Our forces are ready and we can use the confusion of the ongoing conflict to carry out surgical strikes to inflict heavy losses." The man stated.

"You know Martin, one must never fail to acknowledge the strength of the enemy even when they are at a great advantage over them." Dominic replied as he watched the monitors.

"But sir, we have a good opportunity to strike. With proper strategy it is possible for us to land a decisive blow that can help us ensure our victory. So, it would be a waste not to take advantage now." The man known as Martin said. This seemed to have caught the attention of the former Orokin executor as he turned away from the monitors to face Martin.

"Yes, it is true that now is a good opportunity to strike and I am well aware of how eager you are to exact your vengeance upon them for thwarting your plans, which I respect." Dominic stated as he placed his hand on Martin's shoulder.

"But _former President_ , do not forget for a single moment the reason you were defeated in the first place." The former Executor began in a serious tone. "You made a terrible miscalculation thinking that your prized _Darwin's Hand_ ensured total victory for you and it was precisely why you lost. Letting your guard down before completely confirming a victory is a foolish mistake." The former Executor added, almost in a mocking tone. Martin flinched upon hearing this but remained calm.

"So, then what will be our next course of action?" Martin asked.

"For now, our main priority is the preservation and expansion of our strength. They are not aware of our presence yet so let us make full use of that compensate for our previous losses. As covertly as possible." Dominic stated. "And while we are at it, let's find those whom we can make use of. You know what they say, the enemy of my enemy is a friend."

"Very well then. We shall wait for further orders." Martin said as he headed out of the room. He agreed with the logic of his superior. While they still had a good amount of manpower and resources at their disposal, it would be far wiser to take a more careful route, especially against the enemies they wanted to eradicate.

"On more thing." Dominic spoke before Martin could leave, causing the man to stop.

"I have other _arrangements_ in place that will help us in the total annihilation of our enemies."

* * *

" _You should be ashamed of yourself! You cannot even do the only thing you are supposed to do properly, let alone stand up to their achievements!"_

" _Look at their mangled corpses and tell me, how does it feel to know that their deaths are all because of you?"_

" _You think your actions make any difference here? Humans will always be like that and you cannot do anything about it. You deserve eternal damnation for what you have done!"_

* * *

 **Personal Quarters.**

 **Knights of Pendragon Dojo**

Ken woke up from sleep, panting and sweating like a pig.

Once more, he had the same dream again, finding himself standing on an endless sea of blood, being surrounded by dead people he both knew or never saw and finally being devoured by a massive creature.

Only this time, he was able to get a closer look at the being that was inside the great beast and what he saw was quite shocking.

It was him.

Or more specifically, it appeared to be a twisted version of himself, something that can't exactly be called a human anymore and it looked like something more akin to a monster due to the nasty bestial grin the thing had on its face as if it took great delight seeing him in such torment.

He couldn't think of any logical explanation of the recurring dream but he doubted that this may be the last time he experiences it. If that was the case, then it meant that he might be getting any proper sleep anytime soon.

But for now, he decided to give as little thought to it as possible. Getting up from his bed, the Tenno went to the washroom to clean up. Afterwards he took control of his Warframe and headed out for the training area.

Since he wasn't going to participate in any missions at the moment, he decided to spend his time training, trying to hone his swordsmanship and other things. After all, he had grown used to routine training regimens thanks to his mentor and training everyday became a habit of sorts.

After reaching the training grounds, he picked a quiet area to train peacefully without much disturbance from anyone else.

Pulling out his Galatine, the Excalibur began his first training regimen as a Tenno. He did what he would usually do, starting from the basics of his swordsmanship that his mentor taught him. He performed the various stances, guarding methods and attacks. Ken put up an impressive display of swordsmanship, as he moved around with great elegance, showing off his precise footwork and deft use of the sword. It appeared as if he was skilfully cutting down invisible enemies one after another with great skill and grace.

Any onlooker who would happen to witness his skilful display would certainly be impressed at first glance and would be able to understand just how much dedication Ken had put in his swordsmanship in order to reach such a skill level.

For a while, Ken continued his training until he decided to take a break. It was then he noticed someone who was leaning against a column while watching him. The person was someone who was quite familiar.

It was him.

The doppelgänger looked at him with a sick and twisted smile on his face and spoke;

"No matter what you do or how hard you try, your actions won't be making any difference."

 **To be Continued…**

* * *

 **Well that's it for chapter 3. I really had fun writing this chapter, especially the part about Ballas and Dominic. The former is hands down one of my most favourite characters in Warframe so far.**

 **Speaking of Dominic, if you think he is a lazily designed typical antagonist, you are absolutely right because that is precisely how I designed him. I wanted him to appear to be your usual cardboard-ish typical evil dark lord type villain at first glance as much as possible. Even Ballas himself mentions this.**

 **Then I must say something about the general direction of the story itself. I have been thinking for some time about what kind of identity the story will build up with its characters and plot. Then I have finally decided the course. It shall use a typical fanfiction-y plot as a base but while at it, there are some themes I want to explore in order to tell a meaningful story. Basically, somewhat a parody fanfiction by day while being an ultra-serious story by night. Except if night-time is much longer than daytime (well you get the point.).**

 **Well that will be all for now. I hope you people enjoyed this chapter. Feel free to review if you have something to say or any mistakes you want to point out that I should correct. Some constructive criticism always helps.**

 **Hopefully the next chapter won't be taking this long to come out but I can't promise anything.**


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